Love Thy Neighbor
by Leys14
Summary: Kyouya is living all alone in an apartment due to the orders of his father. He has no complains about it though. Except for his weird neighbor. Good thing Kyouya rarely sees her. Then the unthinkable happened... she enrolled in Ouran. Kyouya/OC
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own _Ouran High School Host Club. _Original idea by Hatori Bisco. I own nothing except my OCs, plot, and etc...

**A/N: **This chapter, as well as the other seven chapters, have been edited.

* * *

Chapter 1

The Beginning

_**Setting:**_ _In Class 2-A or more commonly known as Tamaki and Kyouya's classroom_

It was a relatively quiet and peaceful day. Students were chatting, good students were studying, and teachers were doing their jobs. It was like any other day. That is before…

"Eh?! Okaa-san is going to live on his own?" Tamaki shrieked as Kyouya narrowed his eyes. Everyone in the room stared at the two (mostly Tamaki) intently. Tamaki, who was used to being stared at, didn't care.

Kyouya on the other hand felt uneasy. "Yes Tamaki, I am going to live on my own." He said quietly. "And please keep your voice down."

"But Kyouya," Tamaki said in an exaggerated whisper. "Doesn't it bother you? You'll be all alone."

The Shadow King sighed. "No it doesn't." He said plainly.

Tamaki was about to say something when the teacher went inside the room. Immediately the students rushed to their seats and kept quiet. Kyouya took out his book from his bag and opened it, ignoring Tamaki who was gesturing to him to look in his direction. _'Why did we have to be seatmates?_' Kyouya thought.

But it really didn't bother Kyouya at all that he was going to live on his own. In fact, he'd prefer that rather than living with his family. It gave him a chance to be independent. He already knew how to cook so food was no problem. He'd get use to cleaning and doing the laundry. There really was no problem at all with the situation at hand.

"Kyouya." Tamaki said.

Kyouya looked at Tamaki's direction and glared at him. "What?"

Tamaki cupped his hands in his mouth and said, "When are you going to move out?"

It took a couple of seconds before Kyouya replied. "Today."

* * *

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

I jolted upright in my bed. I looked around for the source of the noise and it turned out to be the alarm on my cell phone. The phone kept ringing so I turned the alarm off. Then I realized that I wasn't in my bed or even in my bedroom, I was in the living room. I guess I fell asleep on the sofa. Again. Work hooked me in and didn't let go until three a.m. Again.

I sat up straight, looked at the table and frowned. Books disarranged, papers everywhere, pencils either on the table or the floor. It was a mess! I looked at the clock on the wall and decided to organize the mess in front of me, since I had about fifteen minutes to spare.

It took a while but I managed to organize it all. After that I went to the bath room and took a bath. Then I changed into my school uniform. I grabbed a muffin on my way out, since I had no time to make breakfast. I opened the shoe closet that was near the door and took out my school shoes. I grabbed my bag and went out.

"Ow." A guy said in an unusually calm fashion when my door accidentally hit him when I opened it. The guy was wearing a black coat and tie and even wore sunglasses. The glasses made him look like some spy or something. Or better yet, a government agent.

"I'm sorry." I said.

The guy looked at me. I couldn't tell what his expression was since the sunglasses concealed his eyes. He was carrying a box filled with, well stuff I guess. The box looked kind of heavy because the guy was sweating. A lot.

"No, it's okay." He said. "I shouldn't have leaned on your door in the first place. My colleagues and I are loading stuff to our boss's room, you see."

Colleagues? I looked around and sure enough there were two more guys wearing black coats and ties just like him. They also wore sunglasses. Is that the trend nowadays? The guys continued loading boxes inside the room next to mine.

I checked my watch and I was almost late. I bowed to the man I had just met and went down. My apartment was at the third floor and a floor below me was where Kaya lived. When I got to the second floor, I saw Kaya smiling, being as cheerful as always. She greeted me and I greeted her. Handing me a bento, she wished me a good day.

I should probably tell you who I am. My name is Miyuki Takayagi. I'm seventeen years old and I'm in my second year in high school. As you could probably tell I live by myself. I've been living alone for three years now. My parents and my older brother decided to go back to Italy since they missed the place so much. Yes, I'm Italian. Only half though. My father's the one who's Japanese, and my mother is the Italian.

As I was walking to school I passed by my favorite book store. Unfortunately, they still didn't have the book I was looking for, it's entitled "Divine Comedy" and no it has nothing to do with comedy. Unless you consider a man going through the different stages of hell and seeing countless people suffer is funny then maybe it is a comedy.

I'm a bookworm by nature. And the fact that my mother is a writer somehow helped. But the type of novels that my mother writes aren't really my type at all. She writes romantic stories, which I'm told that they are good but I'm not really sure. I prefer horror and psychological thrillers than romance and drama and whatnot. Romance is… awkward? All that love and passion stuff always bewilders me.

Remember the job I mentioned earlier? It has something to do with the genres horror and psychological. I'm a mangaka and I've also written a couple of novels. Although the name Miyuki Takayagi isn't known for horror mangas or novels, but the name Shinji Tamura is. Shinji Tamura is my nom de plume. My parents thought it would be a good idea to use a penname instead of my real name. My job might get in the way with my studies they say. Kaya, the cheerful woman who packs me a bento every school day, is my ever supportive editor/guardian/sister figure. She has long black hair, which she usually wears down, and brown eyes that shows her wisdom and understanding. I think she's twenty-eight or something, she never told me her real age. I wonder why.

I arrived in school and saw many students coming inside, all of them talking animatedly to their friends. I didn't really have that many friends in school. Though, there are advantages to not having friends. Like, you don't really have to wait for anyone when you have to go somewhere. And you'd never have to worry about keeping a conversation. So I was alright with not having that many friends.

The bell rang so I hurriedly went inside my classroom. I sat down on my chair and took out my book.

Somehow, the morning classes went by quicker than usual. But that's mostly because I kind of slept most of the time. I guess the two hours of sleep didn't do it. Thank God I studied last night though, or else I couldn't have answered the math question sensei asked me to answer.

The bell rang again, signaling lunch time. I went to my favorite place to eat. It was the empty space outside the school library. But to get there you have to climb out of the farthest window inside the library. I liked that place since it's so quiet and peaceful. A good place to take a nap, I mean uh study.

I opened my bento and started eating. Kaya made this bento for me, she always makes my lunch. It's one of our agreements. She said that she'll be the one to make my lunch since she didn't trust what the cafeteria has to offer.

I was eating peacefully until, "Takayagi Miyuki. Please report to the principal's office immediately. I repeat, Takayagi Miyuki, please report to the principal's office immediately." The loud booming voice said.

Oh no, is this about the blown up water fountain? I swear I didn't do it. Maybe I had something to do with it, but not all of it.

I stood up and walked to the principal's office. _'I'm sure I can explain to her what really happened then she'll forgive me.'_ I thought.

Little did I know that what was in store for me in the dreaded principal's office was much worse than I could ever imagine.

* * *

**Kyouya's POV**

"No Tamaki. You will not go to my house today." I said for the fiftieth time today. Tamaki's persistence always gives me a headache.

"But Okaa-san I need to check if your apartment is safe." Tamaki said while giving me the puppy eyes, which fortunately didn't, nor ever will, work on me. _Checking the safety _of my apartment? As if I'd ever believe that.

It was lunch time and we were sitting in a table in the cafeteria. Hikaru and Kaoru were there as well. Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai had kendo practice. Haruhi was eating her lunch in her classroom, avoiding her "Daddy". Which now that I think about it, I should be doing as well.

"So Kyouya-senpai…

"is living all by himself now?" Hikaru and Kaoru said.

I sighed. No point in lying. "Yes."

The twins smiled deviously, their signature gesture, which meant nothing but trouble.

"So Kyouya," Tamaki said. "Where exactly is your apartment?" A hint of mischief in his tone.

I glared at him, my universal sign for if-you-do-something-stupid-I'll-kill-you.

Tamaki shrunk. Then suddenly his face lit up. "Alright Kyouya, we won't come with you to your house." Tamaki said unconvincingly. "Hikaru, Kaoru, let's have a little talk." He said as he and the twins went to the corner and plan something stupid as usual.

I opened my mouth to say something but stopped. Who was I kidding? They'd go to my house whether I'd say so or not. It was only a matter of time before something horrible would go wrong. A regular day at Ouran indeed.

* * *

Hi! Thanks for taking time to read this fic, I hope you enjoyed it. Please tell me what you think of the first chapter. Criticisms are accepted.

BTW. The book that Miyuki mentioned, "Divine Comedy" really exists. It's Italian so I decided to put it here. My friend was the one who suggested it though. She said it was an interesting epic poem. I haven't read it though.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Desperation

**Miyuki's POV**

Parents. They say that they are the only people you can rely on when you're in your "Worst Case Scenario". But most of the time they're the ones causing it in the first place.

I walked towards the principal's office and opened the door. The room was unusually dark, the only light on was from the principal's lamp. And it was emitting a dim light too. My eyes tried to adjust to the darkness.

"Ah, Takayagi-san you're here." The principal said. The principal was a woman in her late forties. She wore small glasses that look really principal-like. Her graying hair was tied to a tight bun, giving her a really clean look. "We were waiting for you."

At first I thought I heard her wrong. We? There's no one else here but-

"Hi sweetie." I heard a familiar female voice said. The same female voice that rocked me in my crib long ago and taught me how to read and everything.

"Mom?" I said. My mom was sitting in a chair beside the principal's desk and I saw a figure behind mom's chair.

Oh no. "Dad?"

"Yes, I'm here too Miyuki." He said smiling.

Why were they here? Did I do something wrong?

My mom saw how uneasy I was, she stood up and said, "You didn't do anything wrong, dear." She smiled. "Okay, maybe you did. But it's not entirely your fault."

I blinked. What was she talking about?

"We're here today to discuss about your grades, Takayagi-san." The principal said. Thank God. Just the grades.

"Why? Did I fail a subject or something?" I asked.

"No, you passed all of your subjects." The principal said. "Barely."

"But I still passed didn't I? Isn't that enough?"

I saw my parents look uncomfortable and the principal frowned.

There was a moment of silence. Then my dad said, "That's exactly why we're here Miyuki. You can't always have that kind of philosophy in life."

Philosophy? What philosophy?

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Takayagi-san just a while ago you said something like "As long as I pass its okay"." The principal started. "That's not really something a student should do."

I looked thoughtful for a moment. Where was this conversation going? I glanced at my mom and dad, they seem to be giving me a sympathetic look. This was not good. Something terrible was about to happen. I could feel it.

"I'm sorry, but what exactly are you trying to say?" I asked.

"Miyuki, you're obviously not working up to your fullest potential here," My mom started.

My dad smiled and finished what mom said, "That's why we're transferring you to St. Lobelia's All girl's High School." Cue scary music.

My face turned pale. "S-Sa-ai-n-t L-lo-lobe-li-a?" I stammered.

"It's St. Lobelia dear." My mom said calmly.

I walked towards the wall, I leaned on it using both of my hands. Then I screamed my lungs out banging my head against the wall until I lost consciousness.

Okay that really didn't happen but I did scream, mentally of course. There was no way I was going to break down in front of my parents and principal. My parents explained to my why I was going to Lobelia and when I was transferring. Both of my parents agreed that it would be better for me, saying I'd be working at my fullest potential there since St. Lobelia is such an elite school.

I kept a straight face and nodded every time my parents finished a sentence. I'm pretty good at keeping a straight face and nodding as if I've understood something.

So I just stood there, practically not listening anymore, when really I'd rather hit my head against the wall screaming, "NOOOO!!! YOU CAN'T TAKE ME ALIVE!" repeatedly.

"Miyuki? Are you listening?" My mom said. I nodded. Technically I was listening; well half of it maybe even a quarter of it. I heard the words _this, that, is, girls, school_ and _library. _So I guess I was listening to about a quarter of it.

The principal also said that it would be good idea for me to transfer to Lobelia. Whose side was she on? A student of hers was about to be transferred to a school that isn't her school. I thought principals liked the idea of having many students. Guess I was wrong.

There was a sudden gust of wind coming from the window. The papers on the principal's desk were blown down to the floor. The principal stood up and began picking the papers, my parents helped as well. I decided to pick some up too.

I picked up some random papers until one of them caught my attention. The paper was partially covered by another piece of paper but I could still read a few words. I could read the words _our, elite, year, for, _and _student. _Our elite year for students? That sounds like a good title for a book. I picked the paper up, hoping that something interesting or book-related is on it.

I held up the paper at face level, read it, and let's just say what I read wasn't what I expected at all. Instead of "Our elite year for students" it was actually "**Our**an Private Academy, an **elite **and prestigious school, is now offering students from all **year** levels to participate in our search **for** our next scholarship **student.**" Darn. It's just some random paper.

I sighed as I placed the paper on a stack of papers. I really needed a distraction to keep me from sulking because of the news my parents just gave me. But it was just some ad for some school offering scholarships. I didn't need that.

After a while, we finished cleaning up. My parents made small talk with the principal while I just spaced out, which wasn't very rare for me. In fact, I think spacing out is one of my hobbies right next to writing and drawing of course.

I really, really didn't want to go to Lobelia. But my parents really wanted me to. What should I do? If I refuse, my parents will want a reason. A really good one. If I give them **that **reason they'll want me to go to Lobelia even more. They might even force me!

I inwardly shuddered. I'm as good as dead. Oh great now I'm sulking. I looked at my parents, who were talking and laughing with the principal. I sighed again. My mom heard me and she gave me a really bright smile. I just blinked, I couldn't smile back because I really had no reason to smile and I'm not really good in faking smiles. I tried once, Kaya said that I looked like I just had a root canal. Not like my other girl classmates, they're professionals when it comes to faking smiles. I always did wonder how they did that. But I guess it doesn't matter now since I'm going to transfer.

I sighed for what seemed to be the fifth time today and looked down on the floor. The floor was tiled and the tiles were a plain white, no distraction there, so I sulked. I couldn't believe my parents would transfer me to St. Lobelia just because it's so elite and prestigious and some other stuff. If St. Lobelia was so elite, why are there only girls there? Then a thought hit me. _Elite? Prestigious? _Haven't I read something like that before? I thought about it for a moment, when I did remember it my face lit up. Obviously the three people in front of me noticed this because they all gave me questioning looks.

I quickly walked towards the principal's table, which were only about seven steps. I heard my father ask me something but I ignored it. Something I wouldn't normally do, but hey I was desperate. I saw the stack of papers and I skimmed through them, looking for the piece of paper I saw earlier. After a while I found it. I held it up face level and read it. It said,

"_Ouran Private Academy, an elite and prestigious school, is now offering students from all year levels to participate in our search for our next scholarship student. _

_But there can only be one student who will receive the scholarship in our prestigious school. In order for us to find this deserving student, we will have an entrance exam which will be held in Ouran Private Academy. For more information about this, please ask your teacher or principal."_

Teacher or principal huh? I looked at the principal, who just looked at me curiously. My parents looked at me and then stared at the piece of paper I was holding. There was a momentary wave of silence. I blinked.

Finally I said calmly and politely, "Excuse me principal, but what is this exactly?"

The principal raised her eyebrow, like she wasn't taking me seriously. I showed her what I was reading. She looked at the paper I was holding and for a second her eyes widened. "That's just nothing."

I looked at her disbelievingly. "Really?" I asked.

"Well, yes. And besides you wouldn't be interested in something like that Takayagi-san." The principal said, smiling.

"I'm sorry, but what's going on?" My mom finally asked. "And Miyuki, what is that you're holding?" She pointed at the paper I was holding.

I heard the principal sigh, which was the first time I've ever heard her sigh actually. "Alright, I'll tell you." She stood up and took the paper from me.

"Tell us what?" My dad asked.

"Have any of you heard of Ouran Private Academy?" The principal said. She looked at us as if we were students asked to answer a complicated question, which come to think of it is somehow true.

"Is that the school filled with rich kids?" My dad asked. I saw my mom raise her eyebrow.

"Yes." The principal said. "That's the school where most students come from wealthy families. But in very rare occasions scholarships are given to students that aren't from wealthy families. In fact, only one scholarship student has ever been accepted in Ouran."

"So it's a pretty special school." My mom said.

"Yes it is." The principal said.

"Wait, what does this have anything to do with my previous question?" My mom asked. She looked at me. I, who was quiet all along, just blinked. "Miyuki what's going on?" She asked me.

I had no idea what to answer. So I just mumbled something even I didn't understand.

"What?" My parents asked simultaneously.

I was about to say something when the principal cut me off. "I'm sorry I didn't explain it very well did I? The paper that Takayagi-san was reading earlier was an advertisement of Ouran."

"Advertisement?" My parents asked again simultaneously, which was really starting to freak me out.

The principal nodded. "They are offering a scholarship for the student who can pass their entrance exam. Only one student from a certain school is allowed to participate though. And only a few schools in the city can participate."

"Oh I see." My dad said, nodding.

"So who's this schools' participant?" My mom asked.

I realized that I was holding my breath, hoping that no one has yet to participate. If there already was a someone, I would be a dead duck.

The principal was quiet for a while. She looked outside the window, the way people do when they're spacing out, sad, or maybe even suicidal. I'm guessing it was the second one.

"Sadly no one in our school wants to participate." She said softly. "I've tried asking some of the school's best students to join but they all said no."

"Why?" I managed to ask.

The principal faced us her face was serious and angry. "Because they all say that it's too difficult and that even if they try they still won't have a chance. How could they say something like that? They just gave up without even trying. And to think that they're the school's top students!" The principal's voice was so loud that I swear I could hear an echo of her last sentence. I've never seen the principal lose it like this before. She really doesn't like it when people won't unleash their full potential. I guess all people working in some school do.

The principal breathed in and out trying to calm herself. After a while she apologized for what happened and said that she really hates it when people give up without trying. She even said, mostly to me, that people should always work hard in order to succeed. See? Just like what I told you earlier.

"So no one's going to represent this school?" My mom asked.

"I'm afraid not." The principal replied.

There was a long silence. All that could be heard was the clock inside the office. No one had anything to say. Except for me. I hesitated for a while, weighing my options and thinking of several excuses. I got it.

"Maybe I could." I said in a barely audible voice.

"What was that sweetie?" My mom asked.

"Maybe I could do it." I said, louder.

"Do what?" The principal asked.

"You know, the scholarship thing." I said.

You should've seen the principal's face when I said that. She looked like she was suppressing a laugh and she looked really weird doing it too. It was so awkward. Or maybe insulting? I'm not sure.

It took a while for the principal to regain her composure. "I'm sorry, it's just that caught off guard back then Takayagi-san. I didn't mean that you don't have a chance. And also, I never thought you'd want to go to school there."

"Yes that's right Miyuki." My mom added. "We also never thought you'd want to go there."

"It's not that I want to transfer to Ouran, it's just…" I trailed off. I hadn't thought of a reason why yet.

"Just what?" My dad asked.

Then I thought of something. "Well, you said earlier that I'm not working hard enough in this school," I started. "And in Ouran it would require hard work to get in right?" I saw the principal nodded. "So I thought that maybe it would be better if I transfer there instead of Lobelia."

"Miyuki, that's kind of…" My mom said.

There was yet another silence. Was it really that much of a bad idea?

"I don't want to sound pessimistic, but it will be really difficult for you to try and get in Takayagi-san. What with your grades and all. No offense." The principal said. "What do you think Takayagi-samas?" She asked my parents.

"Let us think about it." My dad said. Both my parents then whispered to one another some things I couldn't hear. After a while my dad faced me and said, "Miyuki, do you really want to do this?"

I nodded. It beats St Lobelia, that's for sure.

My dad looked at my mom. But they didn't look worried or anything, in fact they were smiling.

"Alright, if you can pass the entrance exam in Ouran, we won't transfer you to Lobelia." My mom said. When she said this I could have smiled. The principal just looked surprised.

"But it would be really difficult for you Takayagi-san. You'll need to study all your previous lessons and even advanced lessons." The principal said.

"I don't mind." I said.

"But-

"No it's alright." My mom said to the principal. "But if you don't get in, you're transferring to Lobelia, do you understand?"

I nodded. Thank God. My worst case scenario has now ended.

"When is the entrance exam?" My dad asked. Oh right, the date. I almost forgot.

The principal still looked worried. "Next month. But still-

"Alright." I said. I checked my watch and lunch time was almost over. I bowed and said I'd be going to my next class. My parents hugged me and told me to work hard. I nodded and realized that I haven't hugged my parents for a while now. Sadly, my parents would go back to Italy later that day. After one last hug (courtesy of me) I dashed to my classroom.

Now, time to study my brains out.

**Normal POV**

The principal looked confused, and at the same time worried.

"But why did you let her?" She asked to no one in particular.

The father smiled and answered her, "Because once Miyuki starts something she doesn't quit very easily. And she always does her best in the things she wants to do."

"And that's what we want." The mother added, smiling.

* * *

So what do you think? Please review. Sorry the host club isn't here in this chapter, but I promise they will be in the next.

This chapter has been rewritten. I feel so embarassed. "Advertisement?" My asked again simultaneously. "So who's this schools' your participant?" My mom asked. I feel like an idiot. I'm so sorry for not editing this chapter, I was kind of in a hurry. I promise it won't happen again. (hopefully)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
Mission

**Kyouya's POV**

"Ootori-sama," I heard Tachibana-san say. "Should we…" He hesitated to finish that sentence. And I knew exactly why.

I seethed. "Ignore them."

School already ended and we were heading towards my apartment in the car that sends me to and from school. And by we I don't mean me and the rest of the host club, but me and Tachibana, Horita, and Aishima.

I glanced once more at the rearview mirror. I saw a gray car; it had transparent windows so you could clearly see whose inside. Unfortunately I saw six oh-too-familiar faces inside the car "secretly" following me.

"Idiots" I said quietly.

Half an hour earlier, as the host club was about to close, Tamaki called the others for a special meeting, excluding me of course. Tamaki said that I shouldn't come to the meeting because I should be getting ready to go home since I would be going to my new home for the first time. He was obviously lying.

Their meeting took place in the club room because Tamaki couldn't find another room in such a hurry. So in order for me not to hear, they were huddled up against one corner of the room. Tamaki made no attempt to whisper, thinking I was too far to hear them. He was wrong, as usual. I could clearly hear Tamaki saying that they would "secretly" follow me on my way to my apartment and pretend that they got lost and didn't know that I lived there. Then they'd come in to my apartment and "secretly" check it out. _Idiot._

The twins just laughed and said something simultaneously but I was too annoyed to listen to it. Haruhi just stood there irritated by Tamaki's idiocy. Mori-senpai was as stoic as ever. And Hunny-senpai was ecstatic and jumped around the room. Or maybe he was on a sugar rush.

As I was walking towards the gate, the others were "stalking" me. And we all know how discreet the host club can be. I tried my best not to roll my eyes at their stupidity. Tachibana opened the car door for me and I went inside. Tachibana saw the rest of the host club tailing me and he gave me a questioning look. I ignored him. When our car had already moved, a gray car followed us. In fact, the car was right behind us.

"Baka" I muttered.

If they were going to follow me they should have at least been discreet. But they were doing the opposite. I could faintly hear Tamaki's whining and pleading, the twin's mockery of Tamaki's whining and pleading, and Hunny jumping around on his seat.

I sighed. We arrived at my apartment building. It had six floors. I would be living on the third floor. As I was riding the elevator up to the third floor, I mentally prepared myself for the trouble the host club is going to make. Once I made it to my apartment, sooner or later the host club was going to arrive and do something predictable and at the same time unpredictable. Then I'd have to fix whatever they did. I sighed again, a small smile appeared on my face. _Maybe this could be interesting._

_**Meanwhile…**_

"Tamaki-senpai, are you sure it's all right for us to do this?" Haruhi asked a worried look on her face.

"Of course! We're doing this for his own good." Tamaki declared. "We have to look out for one another don't we? We're family and families stick together." He said as he posed dramatically. The wind blew his hair adding to even more dramatic effect.

Haruhi rolled her eyes. _'Why am I here?'_ She thought. Then she remembered.

Tamaki was obsessed in finding out what Kyouya's apartment was like. He wanted to make sure that his 'Okaa-san' would have a safe place to live. Even if it meant going through hell, since it was Kyouya there was an extremely high possibility. How did Tamaki convince Haruhi to go with them? He begged and begged and begged, Haruhi wouldn't budge. She was used to Tamaki already. Then the twins said something even the strong willed Haruhi couldn't resist.

"_Haruhiiii! We'll give you ootoro if you come!" _The twins said simultaneously.

'_Oh yeah.' _Haruhi thought, remembering how she was convinced on going with them. Her short reverie was interrupted when Tamaki called them over.

"Everyone, we must be discreet in order for our mission to be successful. So hide!" Tamaki said.

The host club hid behind the car that Tamaki called over for their "mission". The so-called mission was to check on Kyouya's apartment to make sure it was safe, even though Kyouya didn't approve of any of them to do so.

Tamaki took out a pair of telescopes and eyed the small blue moving figure on the third floor. The figure was Kyouya, their target. Tamaki saw Kyouya open the second door to the left with a sign above it that said "Room 07". There were only two rooms on every floor in that building.

After Tamaki saw Kyouya go inside the room, he smiled.

"Kyouya is inside room seven on the third floor. It's time for us to commence phase two of the plan!" Tamaki declared.

A couple of bystanders stared at Tamaki like he was a crazy person. There was even giggling from a passing group of teenage girls. And yet Tamaki didn't even notice.

The host club (minus Haruhi) dashed towards the building to start their plan. Haruhi sighed. '_Kyouya is never going to be fooled by this.' _She thought as she slowly walked. _'Tamaki is such an idiot.'_

_

* * *

  
_

**Miyuki's POV**

Classes ended and I went straight to the library. That wasn't an unusual thing for me to do, but this time I won't go to the library for leisure. I needed to borrow some subject books to study. And since the entrance exam for Ouran would include the subjects Science, Math, World History, English, and Latin I had a lot of books to borrow. It was a good thing I already studied Latin because if I didn't I'd be in big trouble. From what I've been told I needed to study the lessons of the subjects that were taught from the first year to third year in high school. In other words, not only do I have to review my previous lessons I needed to study the lessons for third year students.

I went to the school's library and borrowed a dozen books. They were heavy but not as heavy as the goal that I must achieve. So I dashed home even with the heavy load.

The building that I lived in came to peripheral vision and I was relieved. I was already panting and sweating once I was walking towards the elevator. I put down the books on the floor to catch my breath. The metal doors of the elevator reflected my figure faintly. Then I saw a familiar figure walk towards me. I turned around. It was Kaya.

"Hey there Miki, what's with the bricks?" Kaya said referring to the pile of books that weighed the same as bricks. You remember Kaya right? My editor/guardian/sister figure. Kaya, though my closest friend, was my exact opposite. She was funny, sociable, cheerful, and smiles a lot (a lot, though I'm not complaining). Kaya always looks gorgeous, she works hard to do so. Today she was wearing a pink sweater and a knee length skirt. Her long black hair was tied to a loose pony tail.

"Miyuki," She said, waving her hand in front of my face. "come back to Earth already." The thing about Kaya is that she's really witty. She also knows that I drift in and out from space a lot, which is a good thing.

"Sorry about that Kaya." I said.

"It's okay, I'm used to it." She said, smiling. "Now what's with the books? Normally I'd see you with novel sized books, but these," She touched one of the books. "look more like subject books or something."

"They are." I said. Kaya raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to study, Kaya."

Kaya stared at me for a while. Then she burst out laughing. I stared at her, dumbfounded. Was it really that surprising?

It took a while for Kaya to calm down. She was still holding in a laugh when she faced me. "I'm sorry Miki," She said, laughing a bit. "But you just caught me off guard there. I mean come on, study? I thought you only study at night. It's still early."

I took a deep breath and told Kaya that I would be studying for the entrance exam for Ouran. She seemed skeptical at first but realized I was serious when I told her that I needed to study there in order for me not to go to St. Lobelia. I inwardly shuddered.

You might be wondering why I dislike St. Lobelia girl's High so much. Well you see it all happened five years ago. There was a famous teenage novelist, back then she was my favorite author, her name was Ryoko Ishido. What made her famous was her novel "Frozen", the book that I absolutely adored. The book was a combination of mystery, thriller, psychological and horror. I loved it. I even brought both the paperback and hardbound edition.

Ryoko was only fifteen back then, which made her even more famous, so she still needed to go to high school. And she went to St. Lobelia. She was on hiatus for three years. Then a month after she graduated she published a novel. It was horrifying! It won the Teen novel of the year. Teen! The book was about romance and comedy. It wasn't like her at all. It was as thought Dr. Jekyll transformed into Mr. Hyde. Only, the change was permanent!

And since then she became a writer for teen novels. She changed genres because of her experience in St. Lobelia. That's when I swore to myself that I would never ever go to St. Lobelia.

"Miyuki?" I hear Kaya say, snapping me out of my flashback.

I blinked. "Did you say something?"

Kaya sighed and shook her head. "So I'm guessing you won't be submitting your latest work for a while huh?" She said. "When is this entrance exam anyway?"

"Well a week from now, it would be one month." I answered her.

Kaya nodded then she looked at me and smiled. "So I hear you've got a new neighbor." She said in a gossipy kind of tone.

"Yeah" I said, dimly remembering what the guy I hit said about his boss or something.

"I also hear he's a guy."

"Ah."

"So is he cute?"

"I don't know."

"Tall?"

"Maybe" Aren't most guys tall?

"Smart?"

"I'm not sure."

"Miyuki, you sound like you've never met the guy." Kaya said, still smiling for some reason.

"I haven't."

And with that Kaya did an anime fall. I blinked. "Kaya?"

"I thought you already met."

"Why would you think that?"

"Because you know that you have a neighbor and he just arrived today."

It took me couple of seconds to answer. "He has?"

Kaya face palmed. "My God Miyuki, you're really late with the news aren't you?"

I shrugged. I pushed a button for the elevator and started to gather my books. "I need to go now Kaya, I've got some studying to do."

Kaya suppressed a laugh. "O-okay."

The metal doors opened and I went inside. I bowed to Kaya and she smiled. "One last thing Miyuki, you should really meet him I'm sure you'd get along pretty well." The doors closed and I felt the elevator moving up. I was standing there pondering on what Kaya meant.

'_How can she be sure we would get along well? Does Kaya have E.S.P. or something? Because if she does that would be really interesting. I could probably make a story about-_

I shook my head. _'No no no. I can't get distracted. I need to focus or else I'll end up in St. Lobelia.' _I shuddered_. 'No way. I don't care how hard I have to work I need to get in Ouran. Even if it means being on Hiatus for a month.' _I took a deep breath. The elevator doors opened and I walked out. The books were still as heavy as before.

I walked towards the door of my apartment. I put the books on the floor and looked for my keys in my bag. Then I heard noises coming from next door. _'My neighbor.'_ I thought as I stared at the door next to mine. The noise was really loud. Laughing, screaming, running around, and even jumping.

'_I hope it will quiet down soon, I really need to study.'_

_

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Thanks for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Meeting

**Kyouya's POV**

_**Earlier…**_

My apartment had two floors and was painted a soft blue. The first floor was where the kitchen, dining room, and living room were. Near the staircase, there was a door, which was for the pantry closet. There were a couple of French windows on the left side of the wall. The second floor had four rooms the master bedroom, two guestrooms, and the bathroom.

I went to my bedroom, the master bedroom, and found that everything was clean and organized, just the way I liked it. My bed was pushed at the far right corner of the room. At the opposite corner stood my desk. It had my computer, notebooks, and pens. There were closets and bookshelves all around the room. There were two other doors in my room; it was for my bathroom and my walk-in closet.

I glanced at everything in my room once again and I was satisfied. At the end of my room I saw light blue curtains that reached down to the floor. I didn't notice it before. I opened them and saw tinted glass sliding doors. Sliding it open I realized that it lead to the balcony. I stood there for a while, admiring the view. The building overlooked the local park. I saw kids playing, joggers, and a few other people. The sound of cars driving on the road could be clearly heard from up here, I'd have to get used to that. I looked at my right side and saw a balcony just like mine only there were a couple of potted plants sitting on a small table at the left corner.

'_That must be my neighbors'.' _I thought.

I heard the door bell ring. Sighing, I walked towards the door. _'So they're finally here.' _I thought.

* * *

**Miyuki's POV**

It's been two years since the Tota family (my previous neighbors) moved out. I almost forgot what it was like to have neighbors. Having neighbors means that you have to tolerate some noise from time to time. Like the Tota family for example, sometimes there would be arguing, sometimes you could hear kids running around breaking things along the way, sometimes someone just has to play the stereo way too loud. But I managed to tolerate all that and more. I got used to the noises.

But this time…

_Crash!_

"_Tamaki-senpai! What are you doing?!"_

"_Kyouya-senpai this looks amazing- _

_Crash!_

"_Kyo-chan do you have cake here?"_

"_Okaa-san! What is this?!"_

"_Tono look at this."_

"_AAAAHHH!"_

It's too much.

It's been an hour already and still they're noisy. I thought I was supposed to have one neighbor. How many are there anyway?

I sighed, trying to concentrate on the already confusing book in front of me, but I just couldn't.

_Crash!_

Wow. Whoever lives next door must have plenty of children.

_Boom!_

Noisy children.

I stood up and decided to go to the roof top where it would be quiet. I couldn't even think straight with all the ruckus let alone study.

I opened the door of my apartment and stepped outside. I walked towards the elevator and pressed the button for it. Even from this far you could still hear the noise. I sighed. (What? I'm a sigher) The metal doors opened and I went in. The elevator went to the sixth floor. I really needed the peace and quiet, and where else better to go than the roof top (Almost nobody goes there). Although I won't go up there to study, I just need some quiet time. That's what I always do before I do something complicated. I go to someplace quiet to clear my mind.

The metal doors opened and I quickly walked to right side of the floor, which was where the stairway to the roof top was located.

My shoes made soft tapping sounds as I was walking up the stairs. I loved hanging out on the roof top, it's so quiet and since it's an open space it's almost always windy. Sometimes I read up there, usually standing. And sometime I either write or draw up there. But most of the time I just stand there, admiring the view.

A soft breeze greeted me when I got to the top. The roof top was an empty open space with borders that were made out of cement. The borders reached up to my waist.

I went to the left side of the roof top. My hands rested on the border. It was quiet up there- the only thing I could hear was my own breathing. I stood there for a while; I'll say a while because I really had no idea how much time has passed. You see, for me time seemed to stop but in reality I had just wasted a few hours on doing nothing.

I glanced at my wrist watch. Yup, an hour and a half of doing absolutely nothing. Well at least I've cleared and relaxed my mind and now I could finally concentrate on studying. I walked towards the stairs, hoping that the noise in my neighbor's house has quieted down a bit. I started to walk down the stairs, my right hand rested on the metal railing. Then I saw a guy who was about to go up the stairs. He had black hair and really dark eyes. He wore glasses that gave me the impression that he was smart.

I blinked. _'I wonder who this guy is.' _I thought, but I shrugged it off. I continued to walk down the stairs but the guy just stood there. I walked past him, he still just stood there. He was a bit taller than me (about six or eight inches) and seemed to be about my age. I was almost at the elevator when I heard someone call me.

"Takayagi Miyuki?"

I turned around. The guy who I just passed by a while ago walked towards me. Was he the one just called me?

"Are you by any chance Takayagi Miyuki?" The guy asked in a familiar voice. So he was the on that just called me.

I nodded.

"That's good." He said, smiling. "I'm Ootori Kyouya, your new neighbor."

* * *

**Kyouya's POV**

"I'm Ootori Kyouya, your new neighbor." I said, smiling at the girl in front of me. The girl, or rather Takayagi Miyuki, had shoulder length blonde hair. She had green eyes and had pale skin, probably from her lack of going outside. The expression on her face was, in a way, unreadable. Not exactly emotionless- but more like a cross between confused and thoughtful.

I waited for her to say something but it looked like she wouldn't say anything. A smile was plastered on my face. "It's nice to finally meet you Takayagi-san. I've heard so much about you." _'Some comments better than the others.' _I thought as I remembered my previous encounter with some of the people living here.

Still she didn't answer. Then I remembered someone telling me that she's not the 'social' type. I groaned inwardly. _'This might take a bit longer than expected.'_

"I'm sorry for disturbing you right now Takayagi–san, but there is something you should probably know." I said. Still no answer, but I continued anyway. "I'd like to begin by apologizing for the noise earlier. The people who caused the noise were my schoolmates. They can be very noisy sometimes, and for that I apologize.

I'd also like to apologize for something else. Something that my" I lingered on for the next word. "schoolmates caused."

_**Flashback…**_

The moment I opened the door I saw Tamaki and the rest (excluding Haruhi and Mori) looking confused- or trying to. So this was their plan. How idiotic.

"Kyouya? We didn't know that you lived here." Tamaki said unconvincingly.

I raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then why are you here?"

"I uh. Well we were just um you know. Um uh." Tamaki stammered. He didn't even come up with a good excuse, truly an idiot.

Tamaki looked at the others, hoping that one of them has a good excuse. Nothing. I rolled my eyes. I was about to close the door when the twins said something.

"The reason why we're here, senpai" Kaoru started.

"Is because we were heading to Haruhi's house and got lost." Hikaru finished, looking at Haruhi who was obviously irritated.

I narrowed my eyes. There were too many gaps on that excuse but I let that pass. I sighed then I stepped aside, giving them space to enter. _'Just get it over with.'_

Tamaki beamed and quickly entered the room. The others followed moments later, silently greeting me as they passed by. What happened next was all a blur to me.

Plates, mirrors, and glasses were broken. Chairs and tables were disarranged. Books, notebooks, and pencils were everywhere. It all happened so fast. I couldn't even stop at least one of them. The noise was too loud, I'm pretty sure my neighbor thought it was too.

Then they came to my bedroom. Tamaki opened closets and threw around my clothes around the room, searching for God-knows-what. I finally snapped. I yelled at them (mostly Tamaki) and ordered them to get out of my house. The host club members were obviously terrified, even Hunny-senpai (Mori-senpai wasn't though) they ran out of my room as quickly as they could. But before they got out of my apartment Tamaki remembered something.

"Wait a second Kyouya." Tamaki said, snapping out of his state of fear. "Your room has a balcony, doesn't it? I must go and make sure it is safe for you Okaa-san!" Before I could react Tamaki ran to my room in lightning speed. I sighed and walked to my room.

When I arrived on the balcony of my room I saw Tamaki holding up a meter stick.

"Kyouya, don't you think that this balcony is too close to that balcony?" He said, pointing at my neighbor's balcony. He was correct though (for once). The distance of my balcony and my neighbor's was only about one meter.

I narrowed my eyes. "Does it really matter?" I asked calmly.

"Of course! Something bad could happen. Look," Tamaki reached out to my neighbor's balcony with the meter stick. I had a bad feeling about it.

"Tamaki, don't-

Then I heard something crash. I looked down over the balcony- there I saw the remains of a potted plant. The pot was broken and the plant might be dead. What bothered me the most was the fact that the pot and the plant looked rare and expensive. And **I** was going to pay for it.

I glared at Tamaki. He looked terrified, dropped the meter stick, and ran. I sighed. _'I guess this means I'm going to meet my neighbor.'_

I went to my neighbor's apartment and rang the doorbell. No one answered. She must have left because of the noise. I remembered a woman named Masumi Kaya who was supposedly close with my neighbor. She lived on the second floor. So I went there.

But as it turned out she wasn't home either. I decided to head back, seeing that I'll have to talk to my neighbor tomorrow.

"Are you looking for Masumi-kun?" I heard a male voice said.

I turned around and saw two men and a fifteen or fourteen-year-old girl. "Yes, I am." Came my answer.

"Well she's not home." The other man said. "She usually works in the afternoon. I remember her saying that she was an editor."

"I see. Thank you very much." I said as I bowed politely.

"Why did you want to see her?" The man, who I assumed was the one that asked me if I was looking for Masumi-kun earlier, said.

I told them that I wanted to ask Masumi-kun about my neighbor, Takayagi Miyuki.

"Takayagi? Takayagi Miyuki?" The girl said. "You don't want to meet her, trust me."

"Why not?" I asked.

The girl blushed. "B-because she's weird that's all."

Weird? I'm accustomed to weird already, but I asked anyway. "In what way?"

She hesitated to answer and she was blushing. _'Oh great.'_

Finally she looked at me and quickly said "She's really quiet and doesn't go out much except for school I guess. She spaces out a lot too. And she doesn't seem to listen to you at all. And she doesn't smile or frown or look surprised or sad or-

One of the men stopped her. "I guess what my daughter is trying to say is that Takayagi-san is anti-social. In fact, the only person she ever talks to is Masumi-kun. And they're complete opposites!"

After that, they suggested I go to the roof top, that's where Takayagi-san usually goes.

'_Weird huh? The host club is weird and I could handle them, I'm pretty sure I can handle an anti-social girl.'_

There was a metal stair case leading up to the roof top, but before I could walk up the stairs I saw a blonde girl (about my age maybe) she had green eyes and pale skin. That's how Masumi-kun described her. So this girl must be Takayagi-san. We (the girl and I) stared at each other for a while; neither of us knew each other and had nothing to say. Moments later, the girl continued walking down the stairs- I just stood there. She passed by me almost as though she didn't see me. She was near the elevator, her hand reaching for the button, when I decided to try my luck.

"Takayagi Miyuki?"

_**End of Flashback…**_

I told Takayagi-san about what happened to one of her plants and that I was really sorry and I would pay for it. She on the other hand just stood there, staring at me with the same unreadable face.

"And that is how it happened. I truly am sorry." I said as I gave a bow. She blinked.

It took a few seconds before she replied. And her reply wasn't the verbal kind, she just calmly nodded. I raised an eyebrow. "Really? You're okay with what happened?"

"Yes." She said in an unsurprisingly quiet voice.

I was bewildered. I really thought that she'd be angry. The pot looked really expensive and the plant was lovely- it looked like it was taken care of greatly and it looked like it was pretty old. How could she be so calm?

"I need to go now." She bowed. "Excuse me." Then she left.

Was she really okay with it? Or maybe she wasn't listening. Either way, she really was strange (Not stranger than the host club though, but still she's strange).

I sighed. _'There are already too many strange people in my life, adding one more isn't exactly a dreadful thing but it would be uncomfortable. Especially if it's a person whom I cannot clearly see through, it's a good thing she's just my neighbor.'_

_

* * *

  
_

**Miyuki's POV**

"I'm Ootori Kyouya, your new neighbor." The man in front of me said, smiling.

So this is my new neighbor- the one responsible for all those noise. He doesn't look like the noisy type. In fact, he looks more like the quiet and smart type, especially with those glasses. I have to admit he looks pretty good with those glasses. Isn't there a word to describe people like that? What was it again? Nerd? No that's more of an insult. I think it starts with an M or something. Moe? Mage? Mega? That's right; it's starts with 'mega'. Megako? Megano? Megane? Oh yeah, Megane. They're in shoujo mangas aren't they? Kaya mentioned meganes to me once. She said that meganes are those who look good wearing glasses. Sometimes the glasses are the most attractive trait. I wonder why. Maybe it's a fetish. Or a-

Wait a second. His lips are moving, he's making some hand gestures. Oh my God. He's been talking all this time. Panic struck my body but I was able to keep a straight face. _'Calm down Miyuki. He probably isn't saying anything important.'_

"And that is how it happened. I truly am sorry." He said as he bowed.

What happened? Why is he sorry? I couldn't say anything to him so I did what I always did when I have no idea what to say. I nodded.

He raised an eyebrow. _'Oh no. Was it a wrong answer?' _"Really? You're okay with what happened?"

"Yes." I said, unsure of myself.

I inwardly panic. _'What happened? Was it bad? Is Kaya hurt or something?' _I needed to know, but I couldn't tell Ootori-san (that's his name right?) that I wasn't listening. So I excused myself and left.

I was inside the elevator, wondering what Ootori-san just said.

What you just witnessed back there was one of the things I really hate myself for doing. Whenever I have a thought I always have to think it out deeply, so deep that I tend to block out any noise around me. I cannot tell you how many times I got in trouble because of that. Even with teachers that could happen. I tried to stop that habit but no matter how hard I try I always fail. My dad calls it my "escape from reality", and nowadays I think I agree.

I leaned on the wall of the elevator and took in a deep breath. _'I hope he didn't say anything too important, otherwise I'd be in big trouble. Again.'_

_

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Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Violent reactions? Tell me what you think.

Is Kyouya a bit OOC? If so, please tell me so that I can work on trying to get him into character.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Exam

**Miyuki's POV**

The month (and a week) passed by and I think I'm ready. I studied a lot of subject books and I even went to the internet for answers to a couple of questions I had on some things I didn't understand. I've also been eating more fish, which is known to boost ones IQ, and my habit of working/studying late at night has decreased. Basically I've been working really hard; I hope my parents are happy now.

I could tell you what I studied this past month but you'd probably be bored to tears, so I'll just skip to the day of reckoning (entrance exam). When I woke up that day I was in my bedroom, a science book at my side, I sat up and looked down on the floor. There I saw books and notebooks scattered everywhere. A small frown appeared on my face. _Today is the day._

I did my usual morning routine and went out. The entrance exam would take the whole day and it would be held in Ouran. Participants are required to wear their school's uniform. It would begin at exactly 7:30, latecomers would not accepted. I glanced at my wrist watch- 6:00. I had plenty of time to spare. Ouran was farther than my school, but I managed to walk all the way (I consider walking an exercise anyway). Whenever I passed by a bookstore I was tempted to go in and browse some books, but I didn't. I needed to get in that school no matter what.

I arrived at the school's gate, there was a security guard there asking me what I was doing there. I gave him the pass that the principal had given me the other day and the guard let me in. Once inside, I saw a woman smiling at me. She wore a dark blue pea coat and knee-length skirt. I assumed she was a teacher.

"Good morning, miss. Welcome to Ouran Academy." She said. "Are you one of the participants?"

I nodded. "That's good. Follow me please." She headed towards the school and I trailed after her. The atmosphere inside the school was completely different from my school. It was still early so there weren't that many students there. Ouran Academy was really big. It looked more like a mansion than a school.

"Here we are." She said, gesturing to a large door with a sign that said 'Entrance exam'. "This is where the exams are held."

I nodded. "Thank you very much."

She just smiled. "Good luck." She turned around and headed back.

I stared at the door. _'I'm finally here. This is the day that I've been waiting for. I can't mess this up.'_ I grabbed the metal door knob. It felt cold. I hesitated to open the door but I remembered why I was doing this and turned the door knob.

The room was brightly lit. The chairs and desks looked brand new. I wasn't the only one there though. Eight students were already there. They weren't socializing though- in fact I think they're avoiding one another. They sat on chairs farthest from one another.

I walked towards the desk at the back, receiving questioning glares from the others. I sat down and I realized that majority of the students here are wearing glasses. Was that the reason for their glares? Or maybe this is how competitors always act.

About twenty minutes later, a man in his forties (I think) came inside the room. He was the proctor. He explained the rules and regulations. We weren't allowed to talk while taking the exam. Restroom breaks are not allowed in the middle of the exam, we should go to the restroom either before the exam or during our lunch break. We had a one-hour lunch break and we are not allowed to go outside (except for those going to the lavatory). And many more. The proctor was pretty strict.

After that the exam started. The room went really quiet, so quiet you could swear you've gone deaf. I concentrated on my test. The questions in World History, Science, English, and Latin had answers which I'm pretty sure about. But in Math I was having a hard time. But I managed to pull through (hopefully).

_Riiiiing!!!_

My body tensed as I heard the noise, but then realized it was just the school bell. It signaled the end of the exam. I heard a couple of moans in the room- I couldn't blame them, I also wasn't ready to hand in my test paper. But everyone eventually did.

We were already dismissed and the participants (including me) were going home. But still no one was talking or socializing with one another. It must be a competition thing. The school's gate was already in sight, I was relieved. I was already exhausted and I wanted to go home and review my answers. Then after that I'll pray that I would get the scholarship.

My mind was wandering (as usual) when I heard laughing. I blinked. What were they laughing about?

Then I saw it. There were two guys that looked exactly alike but weren't moving at all. What was really funny about them was the way they were posed. Both of them looked like they were running; only they weren't moving. They just stood or rather posed there, but they seemed to like the attention.

"These are students in Ouran?"

"No wonder they're giving out scholarships."

I heard people say, I was too busy watching the two identical, unmoving guys that I bumped into something.

"I'm sorry." I said almost like a knee-jerk reaction. I touched my forehead, which was where I was hit, and I was hoping that what I bumped into wasn't a wall.

The thing that I bumped into was a person. A guy, to be specific. I was facing his back; he was taller than me and had neat, black hair. The clothes that he was wearing looked like the boy's uniform in Ouran.

"I really am sorry." I said, walking around him to see his face. When I finally saw his face I felt like I've seen him before. He was wearing glasses and had a serious look on his face. I blinked. _'Haven't I seen him before?'_

The guy didn't answer nor did he move. I thought for a second there that he was a statue. Then I realized that he must also be part of whatever those twins were doing. I inwardly shrugged. He didn't look like he was going to say anything anytime soon so I walked away. But I couldn't escape the feeling that I've seen him before. A former classmate? A librarian? I wondered.

* * *

**Kyouya's POV**

_**Beep beep beep**_

_**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**_

_**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! SLAM! BANG!**_

I grabbed the alarm clock and threw it violently to the wall. I heard a crash as bits and pieces of the clock fell to the ground. It's been a month since I started living on my own and I still haven't gotten use to waking up this early. Since I have to cook my own breakfast, I have to wake up an hour earlier than I used to.

I stood up and headed for the bathroom. I took a bath then put on my uniform. As I was buttoning my uniform, I stared at the wall that separated me and my neighbor and thought, _'I wonder why she's never complained about the loud noise every morning. Maybe she's a heavy sleeper. But even if that's the case she must have heard it.'_

I shrugged the thought off. I then went out of my room and made breakfast. After that I took the things I needed for school and left my apartment. I saw Tachibana waiting for me outside (I still get driven to and from to school). He greeted me and I nodded.

The place where I live in is a bit far from Ouran. It takes about 15-20 minutes to get there. But today, being late won't be such a problem.

Today wasn't a normal school day. In the morning, club activities would be going on, and the afternoon we'd have our "free time", as the chairman would call it. There would be students from different schools taking a test in our school, and the chairman thought it was best that students wouldn't go to their classrooms (he thought that the students would make some noise, disturbing the participants). Of course everyone was ecstatic, except for me. Knowing Tamaki's frivolous behavior we would probably do (or rather play) something childish, more or less a commoner's game. This would definitely be a long day. Although, I am curious about the entrance exam. Who would be the next scholarship student, I wonder.

The car stopped and I snapped out of my reverie. "Ootori-sama, we're here." Tachibana said.

I opened the car door and went out. School bag in one hand and a black notebook on the other, I headed to school. As I was passing down the hallway I heard dome girls gossiping (their favorite pastime) about the participants.

"Did you see them? I did and they looked so nerdy."

"I know. None of them are cute like Haruhi-kun at all."

"Most of them wear glasses but none of them are meganes!"

"I wish the scholarship student would be a megane like Kyouya-sama."

"Yeah…"

Then they squealed, making some passerby's stare. I inwardly rolled my eyes. _'Women can be so noisy.' _One of the girls saw me and 'whispered' something to the other girls, who immediately turned to me (blushing, I might add).

"G-good morning, Kyouya-sama." One girl said. Then the others followed.

The girls there were mostly from wealthy or famous families. So I gave them a smile (my host smile). "Good morning to all of you as well."

I saw some girls swoon. And some were blushing madly, trying hard not to swoon. I politely excused myself, telling all of them that the host club would be opening soon (which they squealed the moment I mentioned the host club). As I walked away from them I heard several comments, or rather praises, from them.

"Kyouya-sama is so cool."

"And he's so handsome. Not to mention kind and gentle."

"No wonder he's in the host club."

"Kyaaa~"

I smiled. _'Better safe than sorry.' _I thought as I recalled the faces I saw earlier. Yumi Matsu- daughter of a famous CEO of a high ranking medicinal company. Ran Ichi- daughter of Suguru Ichi, the famous inventor/CEO. And the others were from families which own companies unrelated to my family's, but as I said earlier 'better safe than sorry'. Relations with different, albeit completely unrelated, companies might come in handy some day.

The third music room came to view when I heard a high-pitched shriek.

"OKAA-SAN!"

Followed by two simultaneous laughter. I slowly turned around. Then I saw the twins running, dragging Haruhi and holding on to what seems to be a blue swim suit, Tamaki was running after them. They were still a bit far from me but I could still hear them (unfortunately).

"Okaa-san! Look at what those devilish twins are trying to do. They're sexually harassing my daughter!" Tamaki cried, tears in his eyes.

Hikaru and Kaoru laughed in vain, "Why don't you catch us then, tono?" They said as they kept running whilst holding tight to the brunette. Haruhi looked irritated (so was I) but made no attempt to escape, knowing it would be futile. The twins passed by me, their boisterous laughter echoed through the hallway. They opened the third music room with their free hand and went inside, slamming the door behind them.

Tamaki slowed down a bit and leaned on the wall near to me. He panted. "Kaa-san, why didn't you try and stop them?" He asked, breathing in and out loudly.

I narrowed my eyes. "Why would I?"

Tamaki looked outraged. "Because you're the mother, don't you care at all about our daughter? Those devilish twins were trying to make her wear a swim suit! And I will not allow my daughter to wear such revealing attire in front of any men. Especially those twins!"

Again with the daughter thing, how much of an idiot can he be? Obviously he harbors feelings for Haruhi that are different from a fathers'. He's just too blind to see it.

I sighed. "Tamaki, club activities are about to start so you'd better prepare yourself." I said as I began walking towards the third music room. Tamaki trailed after me, telling me to punish the twins (which I just ignored).

The host club lasted about two and a half hours; fortunately no unusual things happened during that period of time. Tamaki was designated by numerous girls, Haruhi had her usual costumers (which isn't good in speeding up the payment of her debt), Hikaru and Kaoru were doing their 'brotherly love' act, and Mori-senpai and Hunny-senpai were at their usual table, entertaining their costumers (mostly Hunny-senpai). All was well, that was until our afternoon free-time started.

"Let's play freeze tag!" Tamaki announced, pointing a finger to the air and one hand on his waist.

"What's that Tama-chan?" Hunny-senpai asked, clutching his stuffed rabbit.

We were outside, suggested by Tamaki. In Ouran there were many trees, which were planted for a.) Scenery and b.) Shade during the hot days. It was winter so the shade wasn't really needed, but it wasn't also that cold (if it was we'd be inside) it was just right, which Tamaki took advantage of.

"It is a commoner's game, Hunny-senpai." Tamaki said. He turned to Haruhi. "Haruhi, why don't you explain the rules."

Haruhi narrowed her eyes. "Tamaki-senpai, we're in high school we shouldn't be playing such childish games."

The twins sniggered at her response. "That's right tono." They said simultaneously. "You are so childish."

Tamaki fumed. "I am not! I only wish to play this game because it's such a beautiful day today!"

"Forget it Tamaki-senpai, I'm not playing freeze tag." Haruhi said sternly.

Moments later we ended up playing freeze tag (including Haruhi).

"How did they get me to do this?" I heard her mutter.

Tamaki explained to us the rules of the game. Apparently a person (or the "it") has to chase the others and touch them saying "freeze". When a person gets touched by the "it" he/she has to stay perfectly still until one comrade touches them immediately freeing the person.

The twins and Hunny-senpai looked excited, their eyes widening. The "it" was Tamaki. And guess who he chose to freeze first? That's right, Haruhi.

Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai easily outran Tamaki. The twins ran off to the opposite direction. And I, not wanting to hear Tamaki's whining about me not participating in the game, decided to run as well. Run isn't the right word, it was more like walking quickly.

I was 'running' towards the school's front campus. I saw the twins running on the opposite direction. They were running pretty fast then I saw why, Tamaki was right behind them. Tamaki was trying hard to catch them, while the twins just laughed at him. Finally, with a sudden blast of energy, Tamaki dashed towards the twins taking large steps at a time. He finally caught them, shouting "freeze" automatically stopping the twins. They struggled at first but eventually got back their balance. In the position they were in they needed the balance. Hikaru was standing on his left leg while his right leg bent; his left hand was on Kaoru's shoulder for balance. Hikaru really looked like he was running, or rather frozen in the position of running. Kaoru on the other hand was in an easier position. Both his feet were on the ground (albeit apart), but his arms were in a position that suggested that he was reaching for something.

Tamaki laughed in triumph. He said to the twins, "Yes! I've finally got you, you devilish twins!"

I narrowed my eyes. Tamaki then turned to me, seeing as I wasn't running, he quickly went over and touched my shoulder.

"Freeze, Kyouya!" He said.

I just stood there, normally of course, and didn't move. If I did move Tamaki would whine about me not following the rules (and trust me, his whining can last for days). So I just followed the rules, no matter how ridiculous it was.

Tamaki smiled and ran past me probably going after Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai. '_That's going to take him a while'._ I thought. While I was standing still I stared at the school's gates. It was made of metal and was extremely tall to make sure that no outsider can come inside. On the middle of the gate lie the school's insignia. There was a guard house at one end of the gate.

Moments later I heard a bell ring. _'That must be for the participants.' _I thought. _'I wonder how they'll react when they see a couple of Ouran students like this.' _And then I heard footsteps. The footsteps got louder and louder until finally I heard laughing. Students from different schools walked past me, studying the twins, who loved the attention. I heard a couple of laughing and questions as to why they weren't moving. None of them suspected me mostly because I was standing normally. Then I felt something hit me.

"I'm sorry." said a girl's voice. For some reason it sounded familiar. I couldn't move because the twins would see, they would probably tell Tamaki if I'd move. So I just stood there. Moments later I heard her say, "I really am sorry." I heard footsteps at my side and I saw a flash of white. Finally I stood there face to face with a blonde haired girl whom I knew. She was my neighbor. My strange neighbor.

The girl stared at me for a while then she finally gave up and decided to go.

I stood there disbelieving. Why was she here? Was it because of the scholarship? It's not possible. From what I heard, she wasn't even in the honor roll. She can't possibly be a participant. Even if she was there's no way she'll win. She doesn't look like the studying type, nor does her personality show any signs of it.

I watched her as she went out the gate. Then the others (who were previously laughing at Hikaru and Kaoru) followed.

"Kyouya!" I heard someone say behind me. It was Tamaki. Haruhi, Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai were there as well. "School's ended already!"

I turned around. "I can see that Tamaki."

The twins came over, a look of relief on their faces.

"So tono, were you able to catch Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai?" They said simultaneously. Obviously they knew the answer but they wanted the host club king to admit it.

Tamaki shrunk, murmuring something about the senpais being too fast. The twins mocked him while Hunny-senpai celebrated for not being caught by jumping up and down. Then I wondered once more, _'Who will be the next scholarship student?'_

_

* * *

  
_

**A/N: **How is it? Are there characters that are a bit OOC? Please review. Tell me honestly what you think.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

School

**Miyuki's POV**

I paced around the living room for almost an hour. Every now and then I'd glance at the phone, hoping and at the same time dreading for a call from Ouran. Today was the day that the participants would find out if they won or not, it's already been a week since the entrance exam. I've hardly slept at all this week; I keep drowning myself with work and school assignments. But I couldn't help it; working was the one thing that makes me forget about my stress. If I don't get that scholarship I'll have to-

_KRIING!! _

I jumped and let out a small shriek. The phone was ringing. I swallowed as I walked towards the phone. I picked up the phone, trembling, and said in a small voice, "H-hello?"

"Good day to you, miss." A male's voice answered. "May I speak to Takayagi Miyuki; this is a call from Ouran."

When the word 'Ouran' was said, I almost fainted. Are they calling because I didn't get the scholarship? I hope not.

"Hello? Hello?" I heard.

"Y-yes, this is her." I said.

"Ah yes, it's nice to finally hear from you Takayagi-san. This is Sou Yuzuru, the superintendent of Ouran Academy. The results from your tests have just arrived and I must say that I am most impressed." He said.

I opened my mouth but no words came out. My grip on the phone was so tight my hand went numb for a second. **I** felt numb. It's like if a ton of bricks would fall on me right now, I wouldn't even feel it.

There was a momentary silence until the chairman continued. "You got the highest score in the exam. Congratulations, Takayagi-san. You're the second scholarship student in Ouran Academy."

For a second there I could've sworn my heart stopped beating. Did he really say it? Or was it just a hallucination or something? Am I really talking to someone? Am I even awake?

"Takayagi-san?"

"Y-yes." I said. "I-I um uh…"

I heard Sou-sama chuckle. "It's alright; I understand how you must feel. But you shouldn't be so shocked. You did work hard for it."

I then remembered all the things I went through in preparation of the exam. The piles of books all over my apartment (not counting the novels and other miscellaneous things), the cramming, the extra credit assignments, the pain (well, not really pain _pain_ but more like mental pain. You know like when you read something so many times over that it get's stuck in your head forever, something like that) and many more things, flashed backed into my head. I felt relieved that it's finally over. And it wasn't all for nothing.

Sou-sama explained to me the benefits of being a scholarship student (and also the disadvantages). I just answered yes, no, and nodded my head a couple of times (even though he couldn't see me nodding my head).

"Oh by the way, Takayagi-san," He said before hanging up. "You should come by here tomorrow. You need to get your school guide, books, class schedule, and uniform before coming to classes here next week."

Wait a second. "Uniform?" I asked.

"Yes, you're parents took the liberty of paying for the school uniform for you." He answered.

My jaw dropped. "M-my parents know?"

"Yes. I must be going now Takayagi-san, congratulations once again." With that, he hung up.

I heard the constant beeping of the phone so placed it back to the receiver. I stared at the phone as though I've never seen it before. What just happened? I went to my room, sat on my bed and asked myself that same question. I lied on my bed and asked myself that question again and again until I fell asleep. Miraculously, I slept like a log.

About two hours later, I jolted upright in bed. It wasn't because of a bad dream or anything, it was because I keep thinking about what Sou-sama said earlier.

"_Congratulations, Takayagi-san. You're the second scholarship student in Ouran Academy." _His words echoed in my head. It all seemed unreal to me. But either way, I forced myself to go back to sleep. But when I do get back to sleep, I'd wake up again, thinking about the scholarship thing. And that repeated for about five times, until finally I'd decided to just get up and get ready for school.

_45 minutes later…_

My cell phone, which I don't really use a lot, was filled with messages from my parents and my brother. I was walking towards school. And let me just add that it was pretty early. In fact, it was still a bit chilly. Indeed, I was early (well, earlier than usual). The stores, the book stores I paid attention to, haven't even opened yet, much to my dismay. Finally, I got to school.

The day went by, and somehow I felt like I was forgetting something. It was already dismissal time and still I couldn't shake off the feeling that I had to do something important. I tried to remember but I wasn't so successful. That was until my homeroom teacher approached me.

"Ah, Takayagi-san." A brown haired woman in her mid-thirties said, grinning, "Congratulations on getting the scholarship."

I blinked. What? "Scholarship?" I asked, almost I a whisper.

Amane-sensei (That's her name) raised an eyebrow. "Didn't they tell you? You got the scholarship in Ouran." She said.

"_Congratulations, Takayagi-san. You're the second scholarship student in Ouran Academy." _So it wasn't just a dream after all! So that means…

"That's it!" I exclaimed. Sensei looked surprised and took a step backward.

"What's wrong, Takayagi-san?" She asked.

I bowed at her. "Thank you very much, Amane-sensei." Then I left. I was supposed to go to Ouran for something today, right? I ran to Ouran (which was pretty far, if you'd recalled) as fast as I could. I'm not really an athlete, so I wasn't really fast. I don't even like running or any other activity that involves sweat. I'm more into non-social, non-active activities.

The school gate came to vision and for some reason, my stomach churned. It was like I was in a dream or something. The gate seemed real and yet it seemed like it was just a mirage. Even the guard looked unreal. I stopped running and stared at the school's insignia embedded on the large gate. _'Is this really happening?'_ I kept thinking. I thought of turning back and running away, but, as if on cue, the guard saw me.

"Are you here for a visit, miss?" The guard called. "I'm sorry but classes haven't ended yet."

I blinked. Should I run now? Or should I just tell the truth? I weighed my options. And the option of just leaving now seems pretty good.

"Wait. Are you Takayagi Miyuki?" Damn.

"Uh… Yeah." I muttered.

"Ah. Yes, I've been told to let you in." The guard said. He opened the gate. I went inside and looked for the superintendent's office. Unfortunately, it was a lot harder than I thought. The school was enormous. Was it really just a school?

As I walked down the hallway, my footsteps made soft echoes. It really was quiet. At least that's one thing to look forward to. Back in my old school, there's no such thing as a quiet day. Almost every room would be noisy. But, I guess I'll miss my old school.

As I reminisced of my high school days (which, oddly enough, weren't so many, I wasn't really paying any attention to any school activity) I heard someone say, or rather shout something. I didn't quite hear it clearly, but I did hear something like "Okaa-san," and "Get away." After realizing that I was standing outside a door, I looked up.

"Third Music Room?" I muttered. "Am I even anywhere near the superintendent's office?"

"That's enough!" I heard from the other side of the door. "Do you think that I-

Then it hit me. No, not like the idea kind. But, the door hit me (hard).

_Bam. _(That's the sound of the door hitting Miyuki by the way)

I was sent taking a few steps backward. Then I lost my balance and fell.

"Ow." I said as I touched my head. Seconds later, I saw someone (actually just his feet) come near me.

"I'm sorry. I didn't-

He stopped the moment I looked up. I blinked. The person was a guy. A familiar guy. He had black hair and eyes. He wore glasses and he was tucking a notebook on his left arm. Somehow I feel like I've met him already. I just can't put my finger on it.

There was a moment of silence. The guy was extending his hand, as if to help me up, but he stared at me like I was a weird creature or something.

* * *

**Normal POV**

Tamaki stepped out of the club room, only to see Kyouya a few feet from his side. Kyouya, who was unmoving and silent at the time, had his back on Tamaki.

"Kyouya? What's wrong?" Tamaki asked as he peered through Kyouya's shoulder.

"AH! Hime! Daijoubou?" Tamaki said as he rushed towards the so-called "princess". He bent down on his knee and held her hand. "I hope so. The mere thought of a beautiful princess, such as yourself, to get hurt would just break my heart." Tamaki said as he flipped his hair and petals came falling out of nowhere. That, my friend, was Tamaki's signature '_bishonen_ special effects'.

The girl blinked. _'Where'd those petals come from?' _She thought.

"Tamaki." Kyouya said in his usual commanding tone. Tamaki looked up at him, beaming.

"What is it Okaa-san?" Tamaki asked.

Kyouya hesitated for a moment, weighing his options. Then he said in a monotonous tone, "Go back to the club room."

"Huh?" Tamaki said. Kyouya glared at him, as if to say 'do I really need to repeat myself?' Tamaki shrank, knowing how the Shadow king can obliterate anyone who dares to oppose him. He stood up and helped the girl to stand up while doing so.

"I'm sorry, hime. But I'm afraid this is as far as I will go." Tamaki said to the girl, who was completely unaware of what was going on. "I hope to see you soon." He added while kissing the girl's hand softly.

Tamaki went back to the music room and closed the door. Inside the room, there were faint voices talking and asking about Kyouya. Fortunately, they were smart enough not to go outside to where Kyouya was. He was already exhausted and, to be honest, in a really bad mood.

There was a momentary wave of silence that swept over the two (Kyouya and the girl/Miyuki, I mean). Kyouya was looking at the girl; the light hiding his eyes behind his glasses.

"So," Kyouya said all of a sudden. Miyuki looked at him, a clueless look in her eyes (her usual look). "It's true then, you really are the second scholarship student in Ouran."

* * *

**Miyuki's POV **

The man in front of me talked and looked at me in a familiar way. I couldn't help but think that we've already met before. But I haven't, or have I? He looks familiar, but I just can't say for sure. Do I know him? More importantly, should I know him?

"Are you going to say anything?" He asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"I uh…" I had no idea what to say. Even if I did, why should I tell them to that guy? I don't even know him (I guess so).

He held up his hand to stop me from saying anything. Something which I really didn't need, I didn't know what to say anyway. "Never mind saying it. Sorry, I shouldn't have asked when I'm the one to tell you not to say it anyway. You're trying to get to the superintendent's office, right?" He asked as he smiled. His personality changed in an instant. It was like someone just replaced the guy who was barking at the blonde guy earlier. And, I don't know how to put this but for some reason his smile seems as though it was fake, or somewhere on the lines of that. But maybe I'm just digging too much of it.

I didn't say anything; all I could do was stare at him. Do I really know him? He seems so familiar. And yet he seems like a total stranger.

Maybe I should just go now. Wait; didn't my onii-san say something to me about something like this before?

'_Remember Miyuki, never talk to strangers.'_

No, that's not it. It was something else.

'_Miyuki, you have to _cut _go along with other people, okay?'_

Oh yeah, that's what he said. Wait, was it **go **along, or **get **along?

The man noticed that I wasn't sure of what I would reply, so he said, "If you want, I could accompany you to the superintendent's office. This school has a lot of rooms, you might get lost." He smiled. And again, I was somewhat intrigued by that smile.

I weighed my options. Should I refuse? Or should I follow my onii-san's words? _Think._ Then a picture of my onii-san flashed into my head.

'_Don't forget what I told you, Miyuki…' _Those were his last words to me before he boarded the plane for Italy. He probably meant that 'going along with other people' or something like that. I wasn't really listening.

"Takayagi-san?" The man said. My God. He knows my name? What should I do?

_Miyuki… _Onii-san?

That's it. That's the answer. Okay, I'll do it. Thanks for your advice, onii-san. I'll 'go along' with this guy just like you said.

_**Meanwhile, somewhere in Italy…**_

A man (Miyuki's brother) with blonde hair and light blue eyes was reading a newspaper, and then suddenly he twitched.

"Why did you just twitch, dear?" A brown haired woman, his wife, asked, putting down some cups for their coffee.

The man looked confused. He looked around but saw nothing out of the ordinary. The he answered unsurely, "I don't know, but for some reason I felt like I should twitch."

_**Back in Ouran…**_

"Takayagi-san?"

"Uh, sure." I said. "If it's really alright with you."

He smiled. "Of course." The way he said it was weird. It was almost like it was rehearsed.

We walked in silence. The place really was big. It was as though the hallways would go on forever. Meanwhile, the unknown man and I were feeling a bit awkward. Well, I did. As we were walking, I tried my best to remember the man. He spoke to me with such familiarity that I know that I've already met him. But the problem was who is he exactly? Maybe he's somehow related to Kaya. That would make sense. But Kaya doesn't have any other siblings other than Ren. Nor would she ever think of introducing me to anyone. She knows that I'm always busy. Who is that man?

I didn't realize that I was staring at him until he turned to me and asked, "What is it?"

I blinked. "Nothing." I said, looking at him straight in the eye. Maybe I'll recognize him through his eyes. No, nothing.

Moments later we arrived outside the superintendent's office. There was a wooden double door with elaborate and sophisticated designs.

"Here we are, Takayagi-san." The man said. "I should be going now. Good luck."

He turned around and began to walk.

"Wait." I said. Although, I had no idea why I did so.

He looked at me. "Yes?"

"Um, uh, thank you very much." I said, bowing. I would have said his name but I don't know what it is.

"You're welcome." I heard him say. And with those last words, he left. I stared at the door. _'This is exactly how I felt when I was about to enter the examination room. Why am I so nervous? It's like déjà vu.' _

I knocked on the door. Then came a soft 'come in' reply. I twisted the door handles and opened the door.

* * *

**Kyouya's POV**

It's been such a hectic week. But it wasn't just school work, actually the school work compromises to about a half of my schedule; it was mostly the host club activities. For some reason Tamaki had a 'brilliant' idea for a theme in the host club. It was a medieval theme. He actually wanted real live horses on the campus, not to mention the costumes and props that were oh-so needed. The dresses that were used for renting to our costumers cost twice as much as our previous themes. That was the most extravagant club theme we ever had. It's a good thing I had some club savings just in case something like this happened.

I had such a headache. Since I've been living all by myself I had no time to rest at all. I just had too much to do. But I guess this is what father intended to do from the very beginning. He wanted to see whether or not I would crumble. He probably expects me to go home and come back because I had too much work. But I'll never do that. I might be a bit tired but I'm not idiotic enough to do something like that.

"Kyouya, I've got another ingenious plan for tomorrow's theme!" Tamaki exclaimed as he ran towards where I was sitting. We were inside the host club preparing to open. I was sitting on my usual table, typing down well, you really don't need to know what.

I let out a breath. I adjusted my glasses and ignored the babbling idiot.

"Kyouya, are you listening?" Tamaki asked. I inwardly twitched. I have to admit that I am physically exhausted. My hands are barely doing what I want them to do (typing of course, just in case you had any other ideas).

"Kyouya. Kyouya. Kyouya." Tamaki persisted. I noticed that the rest of the club members were backing away in fear.

I shut my eyes tight for a second, and them slowly I opened them, hoping that Tamaki would've gone away. Much to my dismay, he was still there, waiting for me to answer him.

"What, Tamaki?" I managed to say calmly.

Tamaki's face brightened. "I have a new theme idea!"

I sighed. "Tell me later Tamaki." I said as I continued typing, not bothering to look at his direction.

"Eh? Are you sure? I really think you should-

"I said later." I said a bit louder than I intended.

"But you really need to hear it now." Tamaki childishly persisted.

I felt my anger rising. "Later, I'm busy."

"But-

I stood up. The room fell silent. Everyone in the room shrank in fear. I looked around the room; the place was so tense that there was no way that I would ever get any work done now.

"Um, Kyouya-senpai?" Haruhi bravely asked. They (minus Tamaki who was frozen in fear at his spot) were huddled up against one side of the room. I glared at them, probably due to my anger. Nowadays I feel as though I can hardly watch my temper. I'm just too exhausted.

The twins covered her mouth. "No, no! She wasn't going to say anything." They said nervously.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I need to go somewhere." I said as I began walking to the door. But I wasn't lying. I really did need to go somewhere. Somewhere far away and quiet.

"Wait, Okaa-san!" Tamaki called behind me.

I was in a foul mood and I wanted to get away from there fast, so I snapped at him. "Get away from me." I said a bit too coldly.

"But Kyouya, what I wanted to say was that we should have a simpler theme so that you won't have too much weight on you're shoulders." Tamaki said.

This was too much. Does he think that I can't handle a bit of work? If he wanted to lighten my load he could **actually** help, instead of creating such ridiculous ideas.

"That's enough!" I said as I turned the door handle and started to open it. "Do you really think that I-

_Bam. _I hit something. Then I heard a soft 'Ow.'. It was from a girl. _'That's just great. Now I have to put on my host smile and try to flatter some girl who may or may not be of use to my career.' _

I stepped outside and walked towards the girl. She wasn't wearing the Ouran female's uniform. In fact, she was wearing a public school's uniform. _I guess I don't need to do as much. _I walked towards her and held out my hand. "I'm sorry I didn't-

It's her. That passive girl. Why was she here? Could she be the scholarship student? But how? It was already strange that she became one of the participants, but to think that she won. I continued to stare at her. She stared back. Although, she looked at me as if she didn't recognize me. But it can't be so. We're neighbors. I'm pretty sure we met every now and then on the hallways at the apartment building. What kind of person would forget their next-door neighbor?

* * *

How is it? Am I taking this story a bit too slow? Is Kyouya a bit OOC? Kindly review. I'd appreciate that.  
BTW, Kaya is Miyuki's editor (just in case you'd forget). And remember the cut that I put in one scene where Miyuki tries to recall what her brother had said. I did it on purpose. What Miyuki's brother really said was:

'Miyuki, you have to try and **get **along with other people, okay?'


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Lost

**Miyuki's POV**

My heart beat unusually fast. My body was difficult to move. The hand that held on to the door handle felt so cold and numb. But why? Just because what lies beyond that door was my last chance to escape from the clutches of _that _school? Because if I mess up the meeting I'll have to spend two years _there_? Because I might end up like Ishido-sama? I shuddered. Since I entered high school, I don't think I've ever felt so scared.

I took a deep breath. The coldness of the door handle reminded me to enter the room. Twisting the handle slowly, the door opened.

"Excuse me." I said softly as I pushed the door open. The room that I saw was brightly lit. It was far more spacious than I originally thought. There were even paintings on walls and expensive furniture inside. '_So this is an Ouran office.'_

"Ah, so you're finally here Takayagi-san." I heard someone say. There was a man standing behind a large wooden desk with a warm smile on his face.

"Good afternoon, sir." I said as I bowed.

"Good afternoon to you as well." He replied. After that, he told me to come in and have a seat. I looked around the room once more. It really was lavish.

Sou-sama congratulated me on a job well-done. He commented that my score on the test was impressive.

"Although," He started. "We took the liberty of taking a look at your grades at your old school and, to be honest, we were shocked."

Inwardly, I swallowed. I could understand though. My grades weren't as good as a scholarship student should have. I barely passed my subjects. I wondered if this was going to affect the scholarship. Was it? Holding my breath, I waited for Sou-sama to add something else. There was a momentary pause. The only sounds that could be heard were the sound of the grandfather clock that, strangely enough, was inside the office.

"I uh…" I tried to say something but I couldn't find the words. What should I say? I had low grades because I kept falling asleep in class discussions and tests because of my work? My attention span is as short as a blink of an eye? That would just make it worst.

"But we were impressed by the inter-school competition you won last year." He said as he picked up a folder that was on his desk and flipped through it.

Inter-school competition? Last year? I didn't remember any school activities last year. Heck, I could barely remember the school activities this year. What was it? Could it be that Sou-sama has mixed up my folder with another participant's folder?

Sou-sama still had his gaze on the folder. He was reading it intently. A small sense of panic began to make its' way into me. My hands, which were at my sides, were still shaking.

Last year… What had I won? I thought about it deeply. Something happened I'm sure of that. But what?

"_Takayagi-san, I'm afraid you'll have a failing grade this semester…"_

Who said that?

'_History…Teacher…Grade…Bargain…Remember, darn it."_

"Excuse me, Sou-sama?" I said. Sou-sama turned to me and gave a small smile. "The inter-school competition, was it the Chess match last year?"

He nodded. "Yes, it was. A lot of schools participated, not to mention a lot of star students. But among all those bright students participating, you were the one who was victorious. And you were only a first year back then. That's what made us confirm your scholarship into Ouran."

I blinked. That was what confirmed my admission to Ouran? How lucky.

I looked at Sou-sama and smiled. "Thank you very much, Sou-sama." Bowing as I said so.

Sou-sama smiled back and said, "It's alright, but the person you should be thanking is yourself. Getting a scholarship isn't easy, especially with your grades."

He handed me two paper bags, one a lot bigger than the other, and said that it was my uniform and the text books that I will be using. I thanked him once more as I took the bags from him. At one bag I spotted a yellow-like cloth and the other some books.

"Ah, before you leave Takayagi-san, may I ask you something?" Sou-sama said as I was heading for the door.

I nodded. "How long have you been competing at chess? We've checked your school records and the only chess competition we found was last years. And you're not even part of the chess team."

"Oh that," I dreaded that question. Lying would do no good, so I decided to tell the truth, albeit shakily. "Well actually Sou-sama, the only reason why I joined was to pass World History."

There was a confused expression that settled on Sou-sama's face. A light blush appeared on my cheeks as I rubbed the back of my head with one hand. "Last year, at one semester, I was failing World History. My parents didn't like the fact that I was failing, so I decided to ask Mishima-sensei, our history teacher, if there was a way for me to pass." I swallowed and looked at the floor with embarrassment. "And sensei really had no idea how she could pass me. She said that I didn't participate in class and had very low scores in tests. But sensei was the head teacher of the chess team, which had an important competition coming up. The chess team was lacking one member, so I asked if I could join to pass her subject. Sensei was skeptical at first but since the competition was growing near she accepted me. But she'd let me pass only if I could win a few matches. And that's it." I said those words slowly and in a bit in a stuttered voice.

I couldn't see Sou-sama's face, since I was looking at the floor, but I could tell he was pretty shocked. An awkward silence filled the room. _Maybe I shouldn't have told him._

"So you entered just to pass a subject?" He asked. I nodded slowly. "And you won because of that failing grade?" I nodded again. "Why did you fail in history? Was it difficult for you?"

"No it's not that." I said. "I just kept falling asleep during class discussions and I can't stay awake during tests."

"I see…" He said. After a few moments he turned to me and smiled. "You know Takayagi-san, to be honest, the staff and I was skeptical of your score at the entrance exam at first, what with your past grades and all. In fact, most of the staff thought you cheated-

"But I didn't cheat." I said defensively.

"I know that." He said. "We placed video cameras at the examination room, and we didn't see any suspicious activity from you. And with what you just said has just took all my suspicions."

I blinked. "Really?"

"Of course. Not many people could've done what you did." He said. "Just make sure that you won't get a failing grade here."

It took me a few seconds to fully understand what Sou-sama said. When I finally understood, I smiled and nodded at him. "Yes."

I finally got out of the large office when, as if on cue, my phone rang, or rather vibrated as I always keep it in silent mode. The vibrating of my phone continued as I kept on walking towards the seemingly infinite hallways. Usually when my phone vibrates I ignore it, most of the calls I receive are from Kaya who usually calls just out of boredom. But I was in a tolerable mood so I put down the two paper bags that Sou-sama just gave me, took my phone from the pocket of my bag, flipped it open, and answered it.

"Hello?" I said as I went closer to the wall as to not block anyone who might pass by, but with the wide hallway it seemed impossible.

"Congratulations!" Three people chorused.

Puzzled, I took a look at the screen of my phone and saw the caller id. It was a long distance call- from my parents.

"Miyuki, are you there sweetie?" I heard mom's soft somewhat crackled voice echo a bit in the hallway.

"Yes, I'm here." I replied.

As soon as I confirmed my presence there, there were suddenly arrays of 'congratulations', 'I'm so proud of you', and even 'were you just sleeping?'. I almost immediately recognized the voices. One was from my mom, then one from my dad, and finally my brother. Hearing their voices brought a smile to my face. Even though I've been living by myself for three years, I still get the occasional yearning for the soft tapping noises from my mom's typewriter, or the smell of one of my brother's cooking, or even dad's advices which I always fail to understand. But it was my decision after all.

Once my parents plus brother quieted down a bit, I thanked them for calling and told them that I was already in Ouran and had just talked with the superintendent.

"You're in Ouran right now?" My brother said.

I nodded but then realized that he couldn't see my nod I said, "Yes.'

"So is Ouran worth the work? Is it beautiful? What does it look like?" I heard my mom say.

"Ouran is…" I started. I couldn't quite choose one word to describe this place, sure I could tell my mother all of what I could think of this place but I wanted to go home already. "Very big."

"How articulate of you, dear." My dad said sarcastically. I'm not known for talking, come to think of it I'm not known for my writing either but that's just because it's a secret.

"I'm sorry, dad." I said. "It's just that I'm really tired, Ouran was so far away from home."

I heard my parent's let out a breath. "Miyuki," My brother said. "Don't overdo it, okay?"

"Sure." Afterwards, I asked how everyone was, not because I needed to but because I want to. The last time I saw my parents was a month ago. And I last saw my brother last Christmas.

They told me that they were well and after that I told them that I needed to go. Some good lucks' and goodbyes' were thrown around and I closed my phone. Sighing for no particular reason, I grabbed the paper bags once again. I walked down the hallway, trying to find my way out. Fortunately for me, Sou-sama gave me a map of Ouran just in case I got lost.

The map, which was previously folded, was a lot larger than I thought. It contained numerous drawings, mostly box-like which symbolized rooms. I noticed that the drawings had writings inside them. Classrooms, libraries, offices, music rooms, and more. A lot more. My eyes scanned the map for the 'Exit'.

After a few seconds of searching, I realized that there would be no specific 'Exit'. Instead, there was 'Gate', which was good enough for me.

'_Let's see…' _I thought as searched for the superintendent's office on the map. There weren't many offices compared to classrooms or other rooms so it was easy to find. Folding the map in half and holding it with my left hand, I stared at the section where the _S. _(superintendent) _Office _was located. I also checked all the nearby rooms. If I could find a specific room or landmark, maybe just maybe I can locate where I am. The problem was, I had been walking for a while and I had no idea where I was.

'_Maybe I shouldn't have wandered off without looking at the map.' _I thought. Was I hopelessly lost? I checked the hallway. No one else was there. Yes, I was hopelessly lost. So I did what everyone else would do if they get lost in a large, prestigious and extremely wealthy school- wander around until something happens.

My footsteps made soft echoes at the hallway, just as they did when I arrived there earlier that day. It was nostalgic. Weird, in fact. The only thing different was that the guy who I strongly think I should know but I'm not sure because I really can't remember him or his name at all wasn't there to hit me with a door and help me. Seriously, who was that guy? But even if I were to find him, I didn't want him to help me. Next week I would be entering Ouran and I can't always have a chaperone. I needed to know Ouran inside out. And I thought that I might as well start now.

I wandered deeper into the hallway, which really seemed endless. I checked my wrist watch. _'I should've been home by now.' _As I was walking I thought of all the things I could've done if I was home, like sleeping or reading. Looking around, I noticed that one place in particular looked familiar. Without really thinking, I walked faster, as if running towards a memory. I stopped as I saw double doors with a sign 'Third music room' above it.

'_Okay, I know that I remember that I read Third Music Room before.' _I thought. _'But where exactly? And when? Oh no. This is just like that guy I know I should know.'_

Standing outside the Third Music room like that gave me the itching feeling that I've been there before. I was so deep in thought that I didn't notice that there was someone walking, or rather, running my way. The footsteps were audible but I made no attempt to move. I was still trying to remember if I've been at the Third Music room before.

What made me snap out of my thoughts was the boisterous voice saying, "Haruhi! Sorry for leaving you alone! Daddy's coming!" And, for the second time today, something hit me. Only this time, I was hit from behind. I tried to catch myself by leaning on the door but it opened just I was about to. I saw a flash of light before I fell face first to the ground.

'_Ow.' _I thought. It took me a few seconds to understand what had just happened. It all happened too fast. There was a heavy load resting on top of me. _'What hit me this time?'_

"I'm so sorry." A voice said. That's when I realized that I wasn't hit by a thing, but by a person. The load, er, person got off of me and I stood up as well. I dusted off some dirt from my uniform before realizing that the room wasn't as empty as I thought.

"Hime," A male blonde said dramatically (he was the one who hit me). The guy took my right hand and knelt on one knee. Kissing my hand gently he said, "Please forgive me for what I have done. I was too stirred up at the moment to notice your beauty and presence. But…" He left his sentence hanging as he stood up, raised my face gently with two fingers, looked me straight in the eye and said in a hushed flirty kind of tone, "It was probably you're immense beauty that made me lose my balance."

'_If this were a shoujo manga…' _I cut-off my thought and inwardly shuddered. _'Never mind.' _

The guy was still looking at me straight in the eye and I, in turn, stared back and blinked. _'This guy looks familiar. Oh great, another face I can't remember.'_

I noticed that the other people in the room were waiting for me to say something, so I just calmly said, "It's alright." And with that, I broke free from his hold, took a few cautionary steps back, and bowed slightly. My bags, which disappeared the moment I fell, were in the hands of two identical twins with impish smiles on their faces.

"These are yours-" One started.

"I presume?" The other finished. It was amazing, they were in perfect synch.

I nodded as I reluctantly reached for my bags. My hands were mere centimeters away from my bags before the twins held them higher.

The one on the right first spoke, "But first…"

"You have to play…" The one on the left said.

"The… Which on is Hikaru game!" They said simultaneously as they did dramatic mirror reflected poses.

All I could do was blink as their Cheshire grins grew wider as they noticed my confusion and naïveté. _'Who's Hikaru? And why do I have to know who he is?' _I thought. My body clock kept telling me to just go home with or without those bags. I should've been home about an hour ago. I could've slept, er, work rather than stay in Ouran. But, since I willed myself to change, I decided to let that pass. _'Thirty more minutes.'_ I thought.

I turned to the twins and said in a forceful, I assumed, tone. "I'm sorry, but I have no time for this. Please give me back my bags." I walked closer to them and, predictably, they took a few steps back taunting me by raising the arms that held my bags slightly higher. I was almost the same height as they were, but unfortunately, that didn't provoke them.

"Look-

I stopped short as something grabbed me on the arm and gently pulled me backwards. Before I could react, my body was softly turned around and I was staring face to face with the guy that hit me earlier.

"I'm sorry, hime." He started. "But I cannot let you leave until I apologize to you properly." _But didn't you just apologize earlier? _I wanted to say. Maybe if I did say that, I could've been home free. But no, I just had to be curious.

I opened my mouth to say something but the guy (the one holding me) interrupted. "I know!" He declared. Eventually he let go of me, but I still couldn't get away. Then, he said, "The host club shall give you free service for today!" It was strange, because the way he said it was like he just granted my life long wish. But I didn't even know what he was talking about.

I was going to refuse when the others inside the room were obviously shocked of the offer that the guy had just said.

"Tamaki-senpai, won't Kyouya-senpai be mad?" A brown haired, kind of short, person said.

"Yeah, tono." The twins chorused. "Free isn't part of Kyouya-senpai's vocabulary."

The guy, whose name was supposedly Tamaki, flinched. "But it's not like one _free _service could hurt. I mean, I can't just leave the situation as is. I wouldn't be a gentleman at all!" Everyone, except for a tall black haired guy who was, ironically, standing next to a short blonde guy, sweat dropped. What did that have to do with being a gentleman?

"Anou, I appreciate what you're trying to do but I really am fine. I need to go home and-" I said, inching away from him.

"So which type do you prefer, hime?" He asked, not showing any signs that he heard me at all. "The Host Club has a wide variety of hosts."

"But I-

"We have…" He then went on and on about the different types of Hosts there are in the host club, introducing me to each on of them. And eventually I gave up trying to refuse his offer and dozed off as he continued blabb- talking. So I just waited until he was finished talking and finally tell him that I really need to go home, for the nth time. That guy was so loquacious- I had to admit, his vocabulary was astonishing. It's like he could go on forever. But the others inside the room seem to be used to that already.

"So which type piques your interest, hime?" He asked as I was shot back to reality. I looked around the room. They were waiting for my answer. That was my chance. Surely he couldn't interrupt me at that time. "I-

"Or would you rather designate me, hime?" I was wrong.

Inwardly, I flinched. My desire to go home has increased to 70%. Why can't that Tamaki guy understand that I was fine and that going to some Host club would be pissing me off even more than getting hit by him earlier?

"Hime?" He asked. His eyes sparkled, waiting for my answer.

"I appreciate what you're trying to do," Even though I had no idea what. "But I really must be going." I said curtly.

Quickly, I walked away from him and towards the exit. I could've screamed when I felt something tug at one of my sleeves.

"Ne, ne, why don't you have some tea and cakes with us?" A younger, cuter voice said in contrast with the lower and older voice from that guy earlier. I turned to where the voice came from and I had to look down to see who it was. He looked like an elementary student wearing a high school student's uniform. Blonde hair, brown eyes, I had to admit, he was pretty cute.

My face softened as the short guy, whose name I couldn't remember, said, "You'll love the cakes that we have here, ne, Takashi?" He turned to the tall, dark haired guy next to him that I hardly noticed before.

"Un." He replied, his expression unchanging.

The short blonde guy was giving me the 'Big brown eyes' treatment that were killing me. How could I refuse him like that? That was cheating. There has got to be a rule for that. It's so unfair!

"N-no thanks." It took all the will power I could muster to say those words. And even then I had to avert his gaze.

"Why not, hime?" The Tamaki guy said as he miraculously appeared at my side. "I could at least offer you that."

My eyes narrowed as I slouched. "I'm fine, really." I said in a low yet exasperated tone.

"So we'll have tea then." He said, not having listened to me at all. "Haruhi!" He hollered to a brown haired, short, compared to the others, girl. An expression of boredom on her face. So I wasn't the only one who had better things to do than stay at the Third Music Room.

"Hime, er, sorry but I have yet to learn your name." He said.

I blinked. _'Oh yeah. I forgot about that.'_

"It's Takayagi. Takayagi Miyuki."

"Ah, what a lovely name. As expected from someone who is as equally lovely." He said. All of a sudden, my desire to go home had become 80%. "So, Takayagi-chan then. Haruhi, why don't you bring us some tea? Takayagi-chan, if there's something in particular that you want, then feel free to ask Haruhi.

Takayagi-chan, you remember Haruhi right? The natural type?" He asked.

Then I answered something that I regret the most. Something that I really shouldn't have said. It was what started it all. It was the beginning of the end.

When Tamaki was introducing the other hosts, I was half listening, half dozing off/ daydreaming. But when he introduced Fujioka Haruhi, his tone was different. Distinctive actually. It was the only name I could remember. (He practically fawned over her). So I got temporarily snapped out of my reverie when he said her name. There was definitely something different with the way that that Tamaki guy was referring to the girl. It was weird.

Innocently, I absent mindedly pointed to the said girl and said, "She's that girl wearing the boy's uniform, right?"

* * *

**A/N: **Kyouya made no appearance in this chapter, sorry about that *gets pelted by garbage*. I hope you enjoyed this one. Tell me what you think by a review if you want. Constructive criticism is highly appreciated.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Found (out)

**Miyuki's POV**

It's funny how life could pass you by so quickly. One minute, you're looking forward to your first day of school; the next, you're making up excuses not to go to school. Yesterday, you're running and playing around the house, not a care in the world; today, you're cramming yourself to death just to pass the next Math exam. Two seconds ago, you're silently urging for the person who was elaborately offering you a free service at a 'Host Club' and some tea to go away; Five seconds later, you find yourself blinking rapidly, trying to find out whether you're asleep or you're trapped somewhere really dark, sitting on a chair and unable to move.

Where does the time go?

I kept looking around, squinting, trying to find even the smallest light. A crack. A faint glow. None. My body was tied to a chair- a comfortable one, I had to admit. Even though they tied me from the shoulders down (even my feet!), they were considerate enough not to tie up my lower arm, i.e. my wrists. At least I could check my watch. But, then again, it was extremely dark. So my luck was useless.

There was no one else inside the room, I assumed, since it was unusually quiet. About five seconds ago, I would've killed to have that kind of silence. But the darkness was disadvantage, though. How could I read?

Moments later, after realizing that the room that I was trapped in was pitch black and I was not asleep, I heard a few voices. It started off as whispers but eventually grew louder until they practically echoed throughout the room. The voices were coming from outside the room, I was sure of that. I heard stuff like:

"Who is that girl?!"

And,

"How did she find out?!"

And even,

"A spy! She's definitely a spy!"

100%, that's how much I wanted to go home at that moment. I didn't care whether or not I'd be rude or if I'd leave my bags, as soon as I'd get untied, I was going home no matter what.

Loud rantings went on for another half-hour, I guessed. Time seemed so slow, especially when you're trapped inside a pitch black room. Ever heard of that idiom? I narrowed my eyes at some of the (oh, how do I put it?) foolishness that I heard. Even though I wasn't quite sure what was happening, I knew I was supposed to be irritated.

Moments later, a burst of light flashed in front of me. Followed by someone declaring, "Total stranger, we, the host club, shall give you a chance!" I squinted a little at the sudden exposure to light (a similar thing happens to me every morning).

Like any other captured innocent student with absolutely no comprehension of what was going on, I muttered, "Huh?" Articulate, aren't I?

"That is IF you shall cooperate with us." A familiar, aggravating, voice said a bit hoarsely (or trying to). When my eyes finally got used to the light, I saw who had tied me up. Remember that annoying but a bit kind blonde guy who had just offered a free service at a Host Club and some tea earlier? Believe it or not, it was him. Tamaki something or other.

I blinked. '_Multiple-personality disorder'? _I thought.

Without my knowing, two identical heads appeared behind me, startling me a little. It was those twins who took my bags. The ones who wanted me to guess which one was Hikaru. Really, who was Hikaru? And why must I guess who he is?

The pair locked eyes with me. Their expressive light brown eyes met my curious green eyes. You could say that we had a staring contest… that lasted for about two minutes to say the least. Eye contact, whether questioning or innocent, is something I've grown accustomed to. I'm not the type that gets uncomfortable just because of a stare/s. Try living with a therapist as a father and you'll understand why.

"Anou, senpai?" A soft, feminine voice said. "Is this really necessary? It seems a bit too unjust."

That Tamaki guy, who was standing a good five feet away from me, rushed to the girl. Enveloping her in a tight hug, he responded, "Of course, dear daughter. That person knows what your real gender is!" He hesitated a little before saying 'person'. I somehow felt offended.

"No one but our fellow club members should know that!" He finished.

"But what about-

"Kasanoda, tono?' The twins said teasingly. I was really amazed at their synchronization.

Tamaki's eyebrows contorted. Clearly, he was not expecting a comeback.

"W-well, he's different. He found out that Haruhi was a girl by accident! A horrible, horrible accident!" Tamaki snapped. _'Seriously, multiple-personality disorder or what?'_

"And don't change the subject!" He added.

I looked around the room and saw the David and Goliath pair from earlier. You know- the short, cute blonde one and the tall, silent one. They were standing near the door, seemingly watching the situation rather than join it. The blonde one noticed me looking at their direction and gave me a sympathetic smile. Which to me was like, 'Don't worry; we'll end your misery soon.' I could only blink.

"Stranger." Tamaki-something or other's voice said. I turned to the direction it came from (which was at my side) and saw Tamaki.

"Yes?" I said. Then I realized something- I was surrounded. The twins were on my right side, Tamaki moved to my front, and (surprisingly fast) the short one and tall one on my left side. Their expressions differed, though. Tamaki's was a mixture of determined and nervous; the twins smiled like Cheshire cats; the short blond one's expression was that of a cute guilty child that had just broken something really expensive; and the tall one's expression was blank. Mine? Pure innocence and curiosity.

"You're from…

"Lobelia, aren't you?" The twins said, a dangerous aura surrounded them. It was as though they, too, had an awful experience at Lobelia as well.

It took a few seconds for me to fully register their question. And once I did, the horrors of St. Lobelia flashed inside my head all at once. All girl's school. Sanity. Ryoko. Crushed dreams. The red and white uniform. Wait a second, what?

Instinctively, I looked down, seeing (well hardly, since the rope pretty much covered my whole torso) my dark blue jacket, which underneath it was a white blouse with a red neck tie; and my light blue knee-length skirt- my uniform. Not the white blouse and red skirt that students at St. Lobelia wore.

The others, as if reading my thoughts, realized it too. "T-then you must've been sent by the Football Club!" Tamaki said as he pointed his index finger at me.

_Football Club? _Images of bulky uniformed guys came to my mind, all of them beating each other up for the pigskin diagonal-ish ball. Blood, cursing, bruises, psychopathic coaches that won't mind if the players' arms get torn off, brute strength… that's football, right?

"Yes, the Football Club must have some kind of revenge in store for Okaa-san!" If there was a synonym for 'huh' but with a more intense questioning level, I'd probably top it off.

"Okaa-sa-

"Kuze-kun is certainly devious!"

"Kuze? Who's-

"Making a woman do his bidding, how shameful!"

"What're you-

"So what do you have to say, stranger?"

I narrowed my eyes. That guy never let me finish any of my sentences. And even when I did, he'd ignore it. Did I want to say something? No. Should I have said something? Yes. Did I want to scream at the top of my lungs? Maybe.

"We must be correct then! Seeing as you are speechless, stranger." Tamaki added.

Scratch that… Yes.

"Senpai, I think you should listen to her side of the story first before accusing her of anything." The girl known as Haruhi or 'dear daughter' said, a worried look on her face. Thank God, at least someone's logical.

Tamaki gaped at Haruhi as though she were an angel sent from above to save humanity from total destruction. I wondered what exactly their relationship was.

After a few seconds of silence, Tamaki wrapped his arms around the girl once again. Even though they were a few feet apart, Tamaki managed to jump all the way to her. "Dearest daughter, I'm so sorry for displaying such a horrible example of interrogating a total stranger in front of you!" His eyes were filled with tears and he hugged the girl tighter. "My worry for your safety just overcame me. And, those devious twins were the first ones to tie her up- I swear!"

"Tono, it was your idea and yours alone." The twins said simultaneously. "We were merely doing what you said." And the bickering started.

My shoulders slumped and I hung my head. I was never going to get out of there. Not sane anyway.

"We're really sorry about this, Takayagi-chan." I heard a small, child-like voice in front of me. I looked up and saw the short blonde one and the tall one. He gave me an apologetic smile (the short one I mean, the tall one just nodded). "Tama-chan just got nervous and overreacted. I'm pretty sure they don't really mean to be so cruel."

Overreacted, huh? I somehow understood.

The bickering of the twins and Tamaki lasted for a while. The Haruhi girl looked pretty annoyed, but she seemed used to it. Moments later, I saw Tamaki sulking in one corner of the room, drawing circles with his finger. I turned my ears off for a while, so I didn't quite understand why he did so.

"I do not have perverted dreams of tying up girls." I heard him mutter. The twins just laughed at this, teasing Tamaki even more. They seem to enjoy mocking and torturing their 'tono'. I wondered why though.

Call it paranoia but the way they acted, I thought they had forgotten all about the fact that they tied up an innocent girl that was inwardly screaming her head off. Seriously, they were bickering, shouting, running, playing and teasing as if they hadn't just interrogated someone forcefully.

Tamaki got over his depression state (don't ask me why and when because I wasn't paying that much attention) and was running after the twins, shouting something along the lines of, "Don't you dare kidnap my daughter, dress up as Cheshire cats, make my daughter wear a short, blue dress that makes her look like Alice, hire Kasanoda to be the white rabbit, make Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai be the march hare and mad hatter, recreate Alice in Wonderland, and post it on the internet with the title "Tono's Perverted Dream! You devilish twins!". But I must've heard it wrong, that would have been too weird.

It was odd but I actually found Tamaki's chase for the twins entertaining. It was a bit comical actually. Laughing, shrieking, running… all of these and more were done as though they had no captive in front of them. Figures.

But, to everyone's surprise, someone opened the door. The double doors slowly opened, everyone stopped dead on their tracks. I looked around the room. The expression on their faces were all the same: fear. Curious, I stared at the opening doors and waited in anticipation as to who is responsible for conjuring up such fear. The doors opened wide enough for the others and I to see who it was. It was him. The guy who know I should know but can't really remember appeared at the doorway. Funny how he kept on appearing like that.

It was as though the air in the room had thinned up to the point of causing convulsions (Yes, I didn't think it was possible too). Tamaki was the one that was frozen in fear the most. Don't tell me that Tamaki also had the same problem with the mysterious glasses-wearing guy like me. What, he couldn't remember him either? If so, at least I had an ally.

It seemed like ages before the short guy broke the awkward silence. "Kyo-chan, you finally came back." He said cheerfully as though he wasn't just paralyzed.

The guy just nodded and proceeded to walk to my direction. With the look on his face, it occurred to me that he was in a sour mood and why the others were so afraid. If you've ever seen The Ring's Sadako, then you know how terrifying a single glare can be, right? The guy was like that only twice as scary. His glare made you want to scream girlishly, run to the nearest corner and suck your thumb while rocking yourself back and forth. Okay fine, that description might be a bit exaggerated but you get the point. And besides, Sadako is a woman. Wait a second, no she isn't. _//may be a spoiler for The Ring fans!// _In the novel, Nagao said that he raped Sadako, didn't he? But then Nagao realized that Sadako was really a male. What a wonderful experience for him to go through (*cough*sarcasm*cough*). He said something about Testicular Feminization Syndrome or something. Sadako had the appearance of a beautiful woman, but she was genetically male. I've read that novel twice so I was sure of that. The cover of the novel caught my attention the first time I saw it, you see.

My mind was too preoccupied with the thoughts of Sadako that I didn't realize that the glasses-wearing, fear striking, paralyzing glare guy was standing right in front of me. What was worse was the fact that he was (or had been) talking. Damn.

"And that is why my fellow club members were forced to take such a reckless and merciless action, Takayagi-san."

Damn again.

* * *

**Normal POV**

Kyouya wasn't in a very tolerable mood. School work had suddenly become tricky; managing the host club was suddenly taking up most of his schedule (much to the dismay of School Work); and his sleep pattern had been reformatted from eight hours to four, which was killing him slowly. He needed eight hours of sleep to function properly (not to mention to keep him calm). And Tamaki's idiocy/naiveté was the icing on the cake.

If it were under normal circumstances, Kyouya could've handled school, work, and Tamaki with one hand tied behind his back. But he no longer had chefs to cook for him, or maids to clean his house/room. He was all on his own. And apparently, a month of independence (a sought after yet misunderstood asset) was his breaking point. Specifically when he got a 97 out of a possible 100 in a History test, his lowest yet. His grades were slipping.

After a couple of quiet and undisturbed minutes of taking a calming walk around the school, Kyouya cleared his head and took control of his emotions. Realization struck him as a thought (coming from Tamaki) echoed in his mind. _"Help." _A word that Kyouya was well familiar with. After all, he was the Shadow King… the one who occasionally helps out but most of the time makes things much more difficult. But the word "help" never seemed to be able to come out from his mouth. He tried once… he chocked once the H was uttered.

Perhaps he needed to be more willing to request for assistance. Yes, that was what he needed- assistance. That wouldn't be that horrible, would it? There was no shame of asking for help. Assistance was what he needed.

Kyouya nodded, an idea began to form in his mind. _'__That__ is surely to improve my efficiency.' _He thought.

But the only problem was who was going to assist him. If they were to hold an audition for the Host Club's assistant, surely, a huge percentage of the female population of the school would stampede their way to the Third Music Room just to get in line for the audition. No. An audition would be a disastrous idea. And besides, Kyouya didn't need a love-struck (distracted) fan girl following him around messing things up as their "love" would pass by.

And if his assistant were to be male… impossible. Kyouya doubted that a young man would be willing to do whatever he says. He could probably devise a plan in order to 'persuade' someone to be his assistant, but he needed to be in good terms with the other families (even those unrelated to his family's business, just in case). Meaning, no blackmail/threatening.

Who could be his assistant?

Kyouya pondered on that question until, without realizing it, he got back to the third music room.

"You devilish twins!" Kyouya heard an oh-too-familiar voice shriek inside the closed room. It was to be expected though. Those twins always provoke their so-called 'tono'.

Taking in a deep and calming breath, Kyouya placed his hand on the door handle. It felt a bit cold, as was what he was really feeling. For a moment Kyouya wanted to turn around and walk away from the disaster that was sure to have been caused by the host club inside the noisy room. But he knew better than that. Kyouya was an intelligent man. He knew that if he were to leave right then and there he would face the consequences, even though he did no harm, sooner or later. So leaving was not an option for Kyouya.

And besides, Kyouya had only been out for about half an hour. What could they have possibly gotten themselves into in that short time span?

Surely, they would've behaved.

They were high school students after all and not children.

They knew better than to do something incredibly stupid.

They would, right?

What the hell was Kyouya thinking?

He opened the door slowly, half expecting something to explode. The room fell silent as he did so. Good. When the door opened wide enough for Kyouya to see what was inside, Kyouya would've exploded if not for his cool and collected attitude.

The Host Club not only did something incredibly stupid… they did something practically illegal as well. In other words- tying up an innocent girl against their will (tormenting her with their idiocy no doubt).

Kyouya entered the room filled with awkward silence. His footsteps made the only noise in the room. Eyes followed him in the room. He was heading towards the tied up girl- his neighbor.

"Kyo-chan, you finally came back." Kyouya's sugar-addicted senpai said, breaking the silence. He just nodded. Kyouya stopped walking once he was four feet away from the tied up girl. He stared at the girl directly in the eyes, who in turn stared back. But Kyouya noticed something odd about the girl's eyes. They were a bit distant. As if she were deep in though or… distracted.

"So, you actually went this far." Kyouya stated, turning to Tamaki, who was as still as a statue. "You do realize that this is cruelty, right?"

"K-Kyouya! This isn't what it looks like! I-I was just… They were… And sh-she was… I-I can explain." Tamaki stuttered, beads of sweat accumulated his head. "I didn't do this just because of a perverted fantasy!"

The megane narrowed his eyes. Once again, Tamaki was being an idiot.

"Kyouya-senpai," Haruhi stepped forward. "Takayagi-san found out that I am a girl and they kind of overreacted. Again."

_I thought it was something like that, _Kyouya thought. "Tamaki, I don't think you've noticed but Takayagi-san is the second scholar student."

"What?!" Tamaki's eyes grew wide.

"So that's why she's here." Two identical red heads said in unison. "How boring."

Kyouya sighed. He was well aware of the fact that Tamaki was called by his father before classes ended. Tamaki was called to be introduced to the scholar student. Unfortunately, Kyouya's little 'outbreak' caused Tamaki to fail to remember his appointment with the school's chairman. Thus, Tamaki got to the chairman's office late, got paranoid (the 'devious' twins might've hassled his daughter), somehow bumped into Takayagi-san, and one way or another lead to the current situation.

One thing that made Kyouya wondered though was how Takayagi-san figured out Haruhi's true gender in a short amount of time.

Kyouya turned his gaze on the blonde, green-eyed girl. '_Is she sharper than she looks?', _Kyouya thought. He checked the girl once more, who looked pretty innocent. One might even say that she was deep in thought.

There was a high possibility that Takayagi-san might sue, so Kyouya decided to put on his 'Host' act and convince her to just forget about the whole situation.

"Takayagi-san," Kyouya started, he walked over to her and started untying the ropes. "I am deeply sorry for what my associates have done. I assure you, they meant no malice. They act extremely reckless when provoked, you see." Kyouya began explaining the motive that the Host club had (or thought) and how it would be greatly appreciated if she didn't have any hard feelings. Or sue.

Unfortunately, Kyouya's little speech was never acknowledged by Takayagi-san's ears _(you know why)_.

After unraveling the last rope, Kyouya gazed at Takayagi-san once more. "And that is why my fellow club members were forced to take such a reckless and merciless action, Takayagi-san." He ended. "I apologize if this seems unreasonable in any way."

The girl took a long and thoughtful silence. The rest of the Host Club were anxiously waiting for her reply, hoping that she wouldn't get mad with unimaginable fury.

Takayagi-san blinked. Standing up, she said in a barely audible voice, "Yeah."

* * *

**Miyuki's POV**

As it turns out, I was right. The glasses-wearing guy **was **talking. And the he was explaining what I've been pondering ever since I got tied up i.e. what exactly was going on.

Maybe I should've listened.

What really got me on my toes was when the glasses-wearing guy said, "I apologize if this seems unreasonable in any way." I could've screamed.

What was unreasonable? Why would it seem like it? What is the 'this' that he meant? And why would he apologize?!

Later on, I realized that the ropes that bound me were no longer there. I was free! But at the same time I was trapped. All of them (the people in the room) were waiting for me to say something. Oh the horror. Why couldn't they just drop me off somewhere deserted like all kidnappers normally do? At least then I'd feel relieved.

I stood up, trying to act casual and calm. They were still hanging so I just whispered a 'yeah'.

"You're not mad?" Tamaki said.

_Damn, follow-up question! _I thought.

"N-no…" I said unsurely.

"You don't mind that we just tied you up?"

"And interrogated/accused you?" The twins said.

_Stop it with these follow-up question!_

Sweating, I stared at the floor and noticed how nice the tiles were. I guess it was expected. After all, it was Ouran and not some public school. Of course even their floors had to be lavish and such. What? They would cheap out on the-

'Takayagi-san?"

I snapped out of my reverie.

"Y-yeah, it's okay." I replied. How long was I out? There was yet another awkward silence that filled the room.

'_Now's my chance.' _I thought.

"Takayagi-sa-

Before that Tamaki guy could finish, I bowed quickly and said **noticeably, **"Sorry for bothering. I'll be going now." No force was strong enough to stop me from dashing out the door.

My legs ran as fast as they could and since they were rarely used to that type of speed, my legs felt as if they were burning. But you know what? I didn't care. It didn't matter. As soon as I stepped outside the gates of Ouran, I swear I heard Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" in orchestra. Then and only then was I free.

Little did I know that **that **was the last ounce of freedom that I would have.

_**Love Thy Neighbor**_

Home was a safe haven for me. Tears of joy could've run down my face if not for my exhaustion. Once I got to my apartment door, my fingers trembled as I fished for my keys in my pocket. I opened the door, not bothering to close it fully, and ran to the couch.

I collapsed on the soft, foamy couch and tried to sleep. Unfortunately, something was off. Paranoia clung on to me like mollusk sticking on a rock. There was definitely something different.

Sitting up, I looked around the room. No, it wasn't my apartment. I was sure of that. For no particular reason, I stared at my hands. My pale hands were trembling. To be honest, they kind of looked unfamiliar. Like, I've neglected them for all these years and I've only seen them now. It was a weird feeling. But my hands were-

Dear god, I was thinking about my hands! Something felt wrong and I was thinking of my hands! I really have got to do something about my current condition.

After a long and heavy sigh, I stared at the table in front of me. There were countless papers, most of them letters or envelopes. There was even a thick envelope labeled "DRAFT". A neon pink note sat on top of it all. '_Kaya was here.' _I thought. The table was a mess, I hated that. So I meticulously organized each and every one of those papers and envelopes, setting aside the "DRAFT" envelope. I needed that for later. After a while, I was contented. And yes, I needed to do that. Trust me; in this type of business, you need to know which paper is more important and which one to throw out. Knowing which is which and which goes where is a valuable ability. Organizing can be a bit of a hassle. Luckily, I've got years of experience under my belt.

My hands reached for the neon note that stood out the most (Kaya's way of saying "Don't you dare leave this unread!"). I guess I was expecting a note from her sooner or later. I've already sent the draft of my newest manga that was collection of short stories. I know I said that I would be taking a Hiatus but I couldn't help it! The short stories were haunting me. They wouldn't get out of my head! Even when I studied! So in a way, I kind of cleared my mind by working. If I didn't, who knows what could've happened? My studying could've been interrupted. Yeah, that's it. That's good.

And besides, it's only 200 pages. Before you ask, I opted to publish it because keeping it around the house was kind of unsettling. My mind kept screaming to write more of it, so I gave it to Kaya. And besides, I wanted to publish something before I started going to Ouran. My final adieu, you could say.

I read Kaya's letter silently. It said,

_Miki,_

_You sure are late today. What were you doing? I never thought I'd ever had to wait for you during the weekdays. Truth be told, I was going to call the police the first hour that passed after school was dismissed. Good thing Ren reminded me that you had to meet with the head honcho of Ouran. What a mess that could've been._

_Oh yeah, I read the draft that you sent and as usual your stories are creepy. In a good way. How were you able to sleep after drawing those scenes? And why was that guy in Story 4 eating a foot? Guess your fans are going to have another taste of Shinji Tamura's disturbing one-shots. _

_The draft is good. Needs a little cleaning up here and there, but that's what I'm here for! Good job on it Miki!_

_Sincerely yours,_

_Kaya_

_P.S._

_Why were you working instead of studying? Didn't you say you were on Hiatus? What happened to your so-called "promise"?_

_So you broke your promise huh Takayagi Miyuki. Tsk. Tsk. And to think I was going to praise you for restraining your temptation/s. _

_And don't give me that whole "I needed to clear my head" excuse. I know better than that, girl. So you better keep your promise this time, Miki. Otherwise… Lobelia shall win. But no pressure._

_Gambatte ne!_

My eyes were frozen on the second to the last paragraph. _Lobelia shall win. _That gave me shivers.

As usual, Kaya read me like an open book. She even knew my so-called excuse for working without even meeting me. I'm really glad that Kaya's my editor. I guess luck was on my side a couple of years back. Not to mention my big brother. It's a long story. Oh, and Ren is Kaya's twenty-year-old little brother. And yes, they do live together. Another long story.

Without really realizing it, I had drifted off into space again. I was really exhausted. Physically, mentally and psychologically (don't ask how).

I lied back into the couch and stared at the ceiling. It suddenly dawned on me that I was going to transfer school next week. The thought never really crossed my mind. Strange, I know. All I was thinking was 'Not St. Lobelia'. To be honest, I had this weirdly sad feeling inside me. So I reminisced on the good days I had in my current school.

Unfortunately, I could remember hardly any. Good or bad. In fact, all I could remember was the MAO club. And even then the memories were limited to the first day I joined to day I quit (3 months ago). It really was strange. I've been in that school since I was in Elementary and yet I barely remember anything. It was as if I was physically there but not mentally. What is this feeling I have? Regret?

Suddenly, I had an impulse to go to the rooftop. I wanted to think in silence. No, I wanted to think somewhere where there is open space. i.e. the rooftop.

I got up and glanced at the papers left on the table. _'Good thing they're already organized.'_

My heart raced a little as I made my way to the door. It has been a while since I went to that deserted area. But I needed to make sure that I won't take that long. _'An hour or so.' _I thought. I got out of my apartment and closed the door. Realizing that I wouldn't take that long, I decided not to lock it. After all, I was in the third floor so it's a bit difficult for thieves to get there. And I only had one neighbor. What could go happen?

Little did I know that that question was going to be answered in a while.

* * *

**Normal POV**

"You actually tied her up?" Kyouya asked, masking his irritation with a calm voice. His question wasn't really addressed to anyone in particular; Kyouya wasn't exactly looking at any of them straight in the eye. But everyone knew who it was for: Tamaki.

"I-I j-just th-thought…" The Host Club king stuttered. Tamaki wasn't quite sure if his best friend was angry, irritated or furious. Or even sleepy. Nevertheless, the flamboyant King was petrified. He has seen how Kyouya can be truly angry. And since then, he had to sleep with the lights on.

If sweating could make noise, it was the only sound that filled the music room. And Tamaki was mostly the one sweating.

Haruhi, as unexpected as it is, stepped up. Her small figure blocking Tamaki. "Kyouya-senpai, what Tamaki-senpai did was extremely cruel." Who would've guessed that that was what she had to say?

Tamaki did an anime fall. A split-second ago, his eyes were filled with tears as he saw Haruhi trying to protect him. Unfortunately, Tamaki was wrong.

"But-

Tamaki's hopes burst through the roof.

"I believe that a violent and painful punishment would not be enough for him."

And once again, Haruhi has crushed yet another man's hopes. "D-daught-e-er." Tamaki said, on his knees and trembling. "Why do you detest your father so much?! I only meant it for your own well-being and safety!"

"That's no excuse for taking someone hostage." Two voices said.

"You demons! You helped as well!"

"Not that much." Hikaru and Kaoru responded, their eyelids half-closed due to their boredom. "Kyouya-senpai, what will you do?"

Kyouya was staring out the window, keeping a safe distance away from everyone. Truth be told, Kyouya expected something like this to happen someday. It was inevitable. The Host Club was bound to tie up at least one stranger per year. But Kyouya never thought the tied up stranger was his strange neighbor. Not only that, said strange neighbor was going to go to school in Ouran next week. Simply put, Kyouya had not seen this coming. So he did what he could.

"I'm going to go home now, if no one minds." He said.

Improvise.

"Wait Kyouya!" Tamaki said as he took hold of Kyouya. "You can't leave the Host Club!"

"Tamaki-

"Yes, it's true that we've done some awful things before and has unloaded all of them to you, but we can change!"  
"Tamaki-

"Give us one more chance!"

"Ta-

"Don't leave us, okaa-san! Think of our children!"

"Tamaki." Kyouya said dangerously low. Tamaki, who's grip on Kyouya got tighter each passing wail, lit up. Was Kyouya going to stay?

"Yes, okaa-san?" Tamaki replied innocently, gleams in his eyes.

Hollywood's most prominent sound effects artists couldn't create a scary enough background music when Kyouya said, slowly yet dangerously, "Get off me."

Whimpering like an injured puppy, Tamaki retreated a couple of steps backwards, shrinking as the fear of Kyouya grew.

Kyouya pinched the bridge of his nose, calming himself. Then, taking a long breath in he said, "As I was saying, though misinterpreted, I'm going home now. And no, not to leave the Host Club, but to take action to settle down the current situation."

"What situation?" The twins asked.

"The situation with Takayagi-san." Kyouya answered, adjusting his glasses (a habit of his).

"Eh?" Majority of the Host club members chorused.

"But didn't she say that she was fine, senpai?" Hikaru said.

"Yeah, she just stood up and left." Kaoru said.

"That's my point."

Curious eyes faced Kyouya. "Weren't any of you paying attention? She **just **stood up and left. Just like that."

"So?" The twins asked.

Kyouya narrowed his eyes. Did he have to spoon feed it to them? "Don't any of you find it suspicious? If you would be tied up with no knowledge as to why, would you act so calm when you'd be released?"

It took about five seconds for Kyouya's question really sink in to them. If it were them, then they would kick and scream and demand what was going on. That or they'd plot an incredibly devious plan to get back at the kidnappers. Like maybe sabotage or a humiliating joke or even…

"SABOTAGE?!" The twins chorused. "She wouldn't tattle, would she?"

"Tattle?" Tamaki asked, peering at Kyouya.

"That's what worries me. She's unfamiliar and most of the time strange. And I haven't quite gotten that much information about her yet." Kyouya said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Haruhi raised an eyebrow. "You haven't checked her profile? That's pretty surprising senpai."

"I just never thought that she'd be worth looking in to." Kyouya said flatly. "And to be honest, she seems uninteresting and insignificant."

Haruhi's face fell. For an instant, she actually thought that Kyouya had respected the privacy of at least one person. She was proven wrong. "You're still as cruel as ever." She stated.

"That being said, I'll be going now." Kyouya continued walking towards the door.

"Wait Kyouya, you don't even know where Takayagi-san lives." Tamaki said.

"Actually, I do." Kyouya didn't bother turning to them. A small smile crept on his face. "She's my neighbor."

1…

2…

3…

"Eeehhh?" The others chorused (except for Mori-senpai, he just had a blank look on his face).

"It really shouldn't come to a surprise. Didn't you notice my hint of familiarity with her?" Kyouya composedly stated. Kyouya noticed that Takayagi-san had left her bags in the club room. _'She really wanted to leave that bad? Normal, I suppose.' _Kyouya thought as he picked up the paper bags lying on the floor.

'_A good excuse for an unexpected visit'_, Kyouya mused.

"I'll take this with me then." Kyouya said, his back still on the rest of the host club members.

Before anyone could ask anything, Kyouya left the room. His co-members were left there, mouths agape, eyes wide. Takayagi-san was Kyouya's neighbor? She was the neighbor that had to put up with Kyouya's… tendencies in the morning? And more importantly, she was the owner of the plants that Tamaki broke but never heard another word of the destroyed plant? Her?

"That poor girl." Kaoru said unexpectedly, breaking the silence.

"What makes you say that?" Hikaru asked, which was basically what everyone else wanted to ask.

Kaoru noticed that everyone was looking at him and he stared at the ceiling. "Not sure. But it feels kind of right saying "that poor girl", don't you think?"

Everyone nodded. Takayagi-san was the neighbor of the Shadow King/ Devil (redundant, but true).

_**Love thy Neighbor**_

Kyouya made his way to the hallways, thinking of ways to convince Takayagi-san into **not **suing, tattling, bad mouthing their club without blackmailing or threatening her. First, he'd have to apologize for the ill behavior of his fellow members (again), then he'd give her the bags that she conveniently forgot in the club room, and finally he'd come up with a way to befriend the girl so that she wouldn't think of suing, tattling, or bad mouthing their club. And with Kyouya's good looks, that would've been easy. Note: **would have**.

Unfortunately, he suspected that Takayagi-san was one of those girls that don't fall for a pretty face. Heck, Kyouya suspected that that girl wasn't listening to him at all. At the club room and back at the apartment. Takayagi-san showed no signs that she even noticed her potted plants were gone for about a week. What Kyouya wondered the most was if Takayagi-san even recognized him. Whenever they'd cross paths, she acted as though they were complete strangers. Come to think of it, Kyouya never heard Takayagi-san utter his name except for the first time they'd met. Maybe she forgot that they were neighbors.

No, that was impossible.

Kyouya got inside the car that Tachibana drove him to and from school with. He ignored Tachibana's 'good afternoon' and rode in silence. The paper bags were placed safely to his side.

How was he going to go through with it? Oh sure, Takayagi-san was just a scholarship student, not to mention a commoner, but she was still a girl. And, based on experience, girls hold the longest grudges. Plus, they can convince other girls that something/someone is awful as easy as a gossip can spread. Who knows? The Host Club could get scandalized. And that was one of the things that Kyouya would never allow. That and allowing something to be 'free'. He'd shred someone to pieces if he ever heard that word added with 'host club' without the word 'not' in between.

Time flew by as Kyouya thought of strategies. Not only that, he was still deciding on who could be his assistant. He hasn't told Tamaki about this, though. Maybe he would tomorrow.

"Ootori-sama, we're here." Tachibana said reluctantly, wondering why Kyouya hadn't noticed that.

Kyouya finally noticed that they had. He got out of the car, took the two paper bags that sat on his side, and headed in to the apartment building. It was already late in the afternoon. Kyouya rode the elevator up to his floor and wondered what was going to be his approach. But he didn't have enough time. The metallic elevator doors had already opened and revealed that he was in his floor.

Not wasting any time, Kyouya walked towards the door next to his and knocked on it. _'I'll just have to play this by ear.' _Kyouya thought.

A few seconds of unanswered knocks went by and Kyouya began to deduce that Takayagi-san wasn't home. Or had fallen asleep. His right hand knocked, while his left held the somewhat heavy paper bags.

Kyouya was about to give up when he realized that he still had quite a lot of things to do. And he couldn't put it off tomorrow since he had something to do as well. Damn it, he really needed an assistant. Soon, he hoped.

"Excuse me, Takayagi-san?" Kyouya said clearly. But no response came. He repeated. "Takayagi-san?" Still nothing.

Kyouya audibly sighed. Of all the neighbors he could've had, he ended up with this one. Kyouya's right hand rested on the door knob. But he didn't really plan on twisting it, of course it was locked. What kind of idiot would leave their house without locking the doors?

Subconsciously, Kyouya twisted the door knob. He was expecting the door knob to stop a quarter away. But to his surprise, it didn't. Kyouya twisted it fully and the door opened. Furrowing his eyebrows, Kyouya checked the door knob if it had been broken. No, it was flawless.

Kyouya was astounded. She actually left her door unlocked! What if some burglar, or worse (the host club), got into the building? How reckless.

Looking around the halls, Kyouya wondered if he should just close the supposedly locked door. Kyouya glanced at his watch. It was late and he really needed to work.

He had no other choice. Kyouya opened the door wider, only to be greeted with darkness. _'So she really isn't home.'_ Kyouya confirmed. He decided to just leave the bags with a note on it, seeing as there was no point in sticking around. If he did, then he'd get mistaken as a thief or something.

Kyouya dug in to his pocket for a piece of paper but found none. He looked around the room, impressed by how tidy and organized it was, and his gaze fell on the living room table. It was jammed full of papers and brown manila envelopes. _'Why does she have so many of those?' _Kyouya thought.

Kyouya made his way to the living room, leaving the door wide opened. He put down the bags near the sofa and glanced at the table. It was fairly low and rectangular in shape. Kyouya noted the pillow sitting at the end of the sofa. The pillow was too big for a sofa pillow. _'What, she sleeps in the living room?' _

A neon pink paper caught Kyouya's attention. It was sitting on top of a thick, brown envelope. Kyouya picked it up out of curiosity. He knew that he shouldn't have but for some reason he did anyway. It wasn't as though the girl's family would be beneficial to his family. So good connections with her was futile.

The megane read the note mentally. It was from a woman named Kaya. Kyouya remembered that Kaya was a close friend of Takayagi-san, or something.

As Kyouya read the letter, he got more and more confused. It said something about _work _and _Hiatus _and even _one-shots. _But what really got Kyouya's attention was the name _Shinji Tamura. _Kyouya's mind began searching for definitions of that name. Shinji Iokawa was a first year at Ouran, his family has helped Kyouya's a couple of times. But he wasn't Shinji Tamura. Ririko Tamura was a third year, one of the few fan girls of Mori that had enough courage to confess to him. But still, she isn't Shinji Tamura.

Finally, a memory came back to Kyouya. He had already heard of the name Shinji Tamura, all thanks to the host club's Otaku manager (supposedly) and the school's Black Magic club president.

Renge-kun barged into the Third Music Room as per usual, holding the latest volume of the manga 'Love Love… something or other' one day. Then for some reason, Nekozawa-senpai came to the club room (via dark, gloomy, out-of-place door that appears out of nowhere). Nekozawa-senpai said that Renge-kun's taste in manga was horrible. Then he said something like, "The only manga worth reading is one written by Shinji Tamura." Kyouya remembered this because that was the first he'd heard of Nekozawa-senpai's interest in manga. Then Renge-kun said that Shinji Tamura's manga was the most disturbing manga there was. Even the mangaka himself was disturbing and creepy. No one has ever seen Shinji Tamura in person. Others (paranoid otakus) even speculate that Shinji Tamura is the incarnation of Edgar Allan Poe. Or he doesn't exist at all. After all, no one has ever met him, heard of him, or even noticed him till a couple of years back.

Shinji Tamura was well-known in the manga world.

It finally occurred to Kyouya… Takayagi Miyuki was probably Shinji Tamura.

… Could she be?

Kyouya gently shook his head. It was none of his concerns. Whether or not she was the alleged mangaka, Kyouya didn't really care. But still…

A curious Kyouya is never a good sign. It's a sure warning that something extremely private is going to be revealed. With or without the owner's consent.

Kyouya's dark orbs scanned the letter, then to the table. Another thing caught Kyouya's eye. The manila envelope with the word DRAFT written largely on it. Weighing his options, Kyouya decided to take hold of the thick envelope, open it and take a little peek on the contents.

What Kyouya saw captivated him. It was a manga. Or at least, that's what Kyouya thought. He'd never read one before. He noticed that there were scribbling on some of the pages, though he paid little attention to them. What captivated/intrigued him was the story. The contents of the envelope turned out to be short stories. Unsettlingly interesting stories. Was that guy eating a foot?

A small devious smile crept on Kyouya's face. _'This is good.' _He thought. Kyouya's head was already concocting plans on how to exploit what he had just discovered in numerous ways. And all of them pleased our dear Shadow King. But one plan satisfied Kyouya the most.

A most devious plan.

Looks like Kyouya just found his slave- I mean… assistant. Yes, Kaoru was right. That poor girl.

* * *

**Notes: **Yeah, who didn't see that coming? I know I know, I'm cliche. But hey, it's fun. I especially had fun writing Miyuki's ADD scenes. *giggles* Ahh... ADD. The part about Sadako is true. You can count on that. Wikipedia helped. Sorry if I'd ruin it for some of "The Ring" fans. It was somewhat necessary.

So what do you think? I probably made some grammatical errors somewhere in this chapters. For those who've noticed, please point them out for me. I need the constructive criticism for future references. **Review **if you could. You don't even need to log-in, I enabled my anonymous reviews setting.


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